An Unexpected Request

"...Awww. Here I'll let you recover. But think about it okay? Don't be silly and ignore your feelings~" Aoi smiled and kissed Masa's forehead, he was sitting so she could reach it and it was a rare opportunity to ruin him. "Mmm if I was feeling a bit more, I could bring Mia here too for this. I bet she'd have loots to say about this hm?"

Moving from the desk area, Aoi waved her hand over her shoulder as she left. "Thanks again Masa! I'll bring him to you first for meetings."

"D-D-Don't...bring..."

If Aoi were to bring Mia here the poor woman would probably break more than he was...so he'd at least try to spare her from this...

Before he could say more, Aoi gave him a wave of goodbye before leaving the office. It took him a few moments, possibly over a minute before he finally removed his hand from his face and gave a large breath. He was still thoroughly red in the face, the embarrassment still not having left yet as he brought his forehead down on his desk.

Seriously...what was all of that...?

Maybe twenty minutes later, Mia came rushing into the office room. She was out of breath and her cloak fell off her shoulders as she stumbled to the desk. Aoi had said it was an emergency, something was wrong with Masaru only Mia could help with. Was he hurt? Stuck on a book or something? Mia didn't know, but Masa was her friend. Of course she'd come to his aid!

Mia didn't notice the door close behind her or the lock twist. She saw the poor man with his forehead on the desk and breathed a bit heavily from her run. "M-Masa! Are you okay? Can you speak?"

Too focused on his jumbled mind he hadn't heard the door suddenly open or close for that matter. What did garner a reaction from him though was a voice...of course...

Shooting upward from his position, his back knocking back against his chair causing it to tilt back some Masaru's expression was anything from it's usual calm and composed self.

"M-M-Mia!?" Masaru stuttered out, "A-ah um...I-I didn't here you come in. S-Sorry."

His words came out rather quick, due to his surprise but thanks to all of Aoi's teasing and such earlier Mia's unexpected presence had immediately brought that discussion back to mind, causing his fading embarrassment to return at full blast.

After a while in Masa's presence, she was much more at ease with speaking to him and being near him, thus when Masa hopped up in his seat with a red face her mind went to them. he was acting odd, something was really wrong here... In fact he had been so surprised he had almost knocked his seat OVER. This stuttering not smiling Masa was not the normal one.

Taking off one of her gloves, she went around the desk and reached out to feel his forehead. Her normally sweet smile was replaced with a worried frown. "Are you okay? You are running a fever and are all red. Masa, you have to be careful! Are you overworking?

"F-F-F-Fine, I'm fi-fine! R-Really!" Automatically Masaru's body had stiffened at the touch, his hand itching to cover his face again but as of now it was frozen in place.

Was the world just against him today!? He didn't mind Mia's visits, obviously but after Aoi and her little conversation!? The fates were his enemy this evening...that much was certain...

"I-I-I'm not-not sick..."

"...Something is wrong and you seem sick Masa." Mia's purple eyes became more worried, her eyebrows drawing together as she felt down his cheek. The fever was strong, he needed rest and fluids! He was stuttering, was it chills too?

Her worried eyebrows went away as one raised in question, her instinct to take care of others kicking in. "You are acting weird and you have a large fever! If you aren't sick you are overworking yourself and should rest. You wouldn't listen to Lieutenant Aoi so she sent me, I think."

If it was overwork he might be weak, maybe she should feed him...

Aoi!?

"A-Aoi...sent you...did she?" It'd been Aoi! She'd sent for Mia knowing what they'd just discussed and his current state! Just what was she thinking!? Did she want him to realize he had some apparent crush!? Was that it!? Was that her plan!?

Speaking of his current state, his body only seemed to freeze more out of shock when Mia's hand moved to feel down his cheek. She was looking for some fever he didn't even have! If she found out why he was really like this...

"Yes... she seemed really worried. I-Its why I rushed over." Mia was a bit embarrassed to be seen hurrying like that, but really she was worried if the rather scary Sixth Squad Lieutenant had been worried.

Unaware of Masa's broken brain, she pulled out a sandwich and a bottle of sweet canned tea and set it on his desk. Her hand moved away from his face and she pointed. Her voice was a bit exasperated as she spoke, though it was still kind. "Eat! Overwork is so bad Masaru, you could get really sick from this. You should take better care of yourself, Zomi worries herself you know. You shouldn't take on too many things!"

While he didn't move his position his eyes did glance over at the sandwich and tea Mia had pulled out and placed on his desk. She had no idea..and it would be best to keep it that way. He couldn't just lie and say he was sick though! He couldn't let her realize why he was like this and he also couldn't let her believe he was getting ill...Just what was he supposed to do!?

His hand, now that Mia didn't have her hand on him, moved to his face to cover it once more in attempt to hide the obvious red she'd already seen. "I-I'm f-fine....Mia, r-really, I promise...I'm not...not si-sick."

He realized now though that if she eventually believed him on that note...she'd likely question what was really wrong with him....and to that he had no answer to that he could give her. Damn it, Aoi! This plot of her's was cruel! It was far too cruel!

Mia watched Masaru with more and more concern, especially as his hand came up to cover part of his face. Something was awfully wrong and she was beginning to think maybe he wasn't sick at all. Aoi hadn't SAID that was what was wrong, Mia had merely assumed from what she had seen. He promised he wasn't sick and Masa took his word very strongly.

Kneeling in front of him, to maybe make herself smaller and help him be less upset, Mia tried her hardest. She wanted to help him! He was a her friend! Carefully, and a bit nervously, she reached up her hands to pull his hand away from his face.

"Masa... if you aren't sick what is wrong? Is there something I can do? I'm worried, I've never seen you like this..."

Again, he froze. He felt bad for freezing, he truly did...he felt bad for his entire attitude right now to be completely honest. He also felt bad for averting his eyes the moment Mia had kneel'd down and taken his hand from his face.

"I-I'm s-sorry. T-Truly I am, b-but you r-really don't...don't want to know w-why." He tried to explain though it wasn't any help, his embarrassment making him a tinge more formal than he usually was. "I-I'm s-sorry for worrying y...you."

"I-I... I... It's okay Masa. I understand." Mia felt Masa's words like a blow, wincing a bit. She knew she wasn't that good of a friend, but he was someone she cared about because of how kind he'd been. Her normally happy purple eyes looked sad as she stood back up, moving herself a bit away from Masaru in the hopes that he'd feel better with her gone.

Giving him a small smile, she tried to hide her hurt feelings and laughed a bit. Her words came out slow and she looked down rather quickly as she started speaking. She couldn't look at him. "Mm-mm. I-It w-was rather silly...of m-me to.... w-worry. A-And ass-ssuming. I-I shouldn't."

He winced at her response, he hadn't meant to upset her; not at all...

He also mentally freaked as he reflexively went to grab her hand in attempt to stop her from just leaving when she stood. He...He couldn't just...just upset her and then that be that! Damn it...There was no getting out of this unembarrassed unless it meant hurting someone. Just great...

"D-D-don't...It-It's not...silly." Masaru had again averted his eyes, mentally cursing that damn conversation that'd led to this. "Y-you...I'm...I...I just, y-you'll get embarrassed.....and...and I'd rather save you from...from that..."

Mia would freak out for sure if she were to find out why he was acting as he was. She'd end up in an even more severe state than he was in. Why was he still in it in the first place!? Damn it, Aoi...

If he were the type he'd definitely think of getting her back for this...

Masa's hand grabbed hers, stopping her from moving too far back. Mia's face flushed slightly but her confusion still shone through it. What was going on?! This was so ridiculous! He wasn't looking at her but he was holding her hand, keeping her from moving away. She couldn't move with him holding it...

Any attempts to calm her face wasn't working and her hand squeezed his as she tried to speak. "...B-But... What could...it be? I-I don't understand? You are...so upset...and acting so weird... I want to help and...but embarrassing? I... S-Save me? W-What?"

She couldn't form too many thoughts of what it could possibly be, there was no rhyme or reason to it! What could be freaking Masaru out so much he'd be acting in such a manner?! She'd NEVER even HEARD of him acting like this and even at his most flustered she had never seen it this bad. He couldn't even look at her?

Her head tilted and her bangs fell over her eyes slightly as she tried to figure this whole thing out. Masa + this = Confused beyond all reason Mia.

"A-A-Aoi...earlier...ah..." He didn't want to explain this. He didn't want to explain this at all. It was preferable to hurting her feelings but still! "She-She....She...."

Why did this have to happen!? Why didn't Aoi understand the just friends thing!? Sure he'd been unable to respond to her arguments half the time but he'd been too embarrassed to do so! This situation was impossible!

"She's trying to make me realize I have some crush on you!" His words had come out fast, faster than his previous spouting anyway. Now he just wanted to roll into a ball, roll all the way back home, roll into bed, and never leave it. Better yet, just ready his grave. No death in battle per se but it was highly equivalent.

Mia stood there. She was almost frozen but for a blink, two blinks. There was no breaths taken until she spoke one slow sentence, deceptively softly. "You...have... a crush... on me...?"

Ready his grave. Ready his grave. Ready his grave. Ready. His. Grave.

"A-Aoi....truly believes I do and...I'm h-hiding it...I-I couldn't respond to her a-arguments because I was too...too frozen from the...the discussion...so after...after she left she li-likely called you here because...because w-well what I'd just stated...."

He'd get revenge for this, somehow. It wasn't in his usual nature but perhaps he could figure out someway if he managed to resurrect.

"...But...do you?" Mia's voice was still soft in disbelief, though a low vibration could be felt through the hand Masa was holding. She was staring, her eyes widening as she felt the ice that had locked her limbs melting. Why was her mouth asking these?! Why couldn't it be quiet? Why couldn't she MOVE!? Poofing would never be more welcome than now. She wanted out, she wanted out of this place and this situation!

"I...I don't....k-know." Masaru responded, again feeling that urge to just crawl into a hole and rot there. "I'm not...I'm not an honest person to myself, and at this m-moment...I can't give a positive answer or a negative one...If-if it's...positive later on, I can...can try to ignore it. I want us...to be friends and I'm happy how we are, th-that you can talk to me...easier now...and that...I-I'm sorry, I-I should have just headed home after...after that conversation then you wouldn't have...have been put in this situation..."

He had a feeling she'd run as soon as she was able to, it was easier to stay around him nowadays but not when it came to something like this he knew. He wouldn't blame her in the least, considering he wanted to do the same right now and hide.

He could talk when it came to other people but when it came to himself he shied away. In the future, something like...romance was ideal, but even feeling that he also felt that it was something unobtainable. He was happy just helping others with their feelings, he was content with that...

"S-S...Sorry."

How did you respond to that? What was that!? He lied to himself so he doesn't know? What...ignore...

Mia wished she had the social skills or SOMETHING to handle this situation better than her default. Which was to just stand there. Shocked. The ice holding her body back evaporated with her face, her eyes watering a bit as she cried before running out the door. Nothing in her brain could prepare her for this, it wasn't even working correctly. As she slammed into the locked door it flew open from the force as she headed a ways down the hall...

Before having to run back and grab the cloak left in the Captain's office. "I'm Sorry! For my life!"

She then ran out, crying a ton as she pulled her hood up.

"M-Mia!?" He stood in response to her feeling, having expected that but not the crying.

Sorry for her life? Just...

Masaru was quiet for a moment giving out a noise of frustration of sorts, his hands turning into fists where they lay on his desk before promptly punching the wood beneath him. It wasn't hard, if only to let out some of his immense frustration at himself.

"Damn it." He'd wanted to avoid hurting her and now look at what he'd done...He hadn't been angry with himself in a long time, until now anyway.

Why couldn't he just lie!? Why'd he have to be truthful all the time!?

Giving out a huff, he snatched up the paperwork that he'd failed to finish yet in a messy pile before exiting his office. He'd head home, he hadn't used any sick days...well they'd get used now.