Smile Practice [nsfw]

"It was just a thought. I have no idea what kind of drunk I am, but I'd rather find out like...with only a few others around in case I am. I mean it'd be bad to get drunk accidentally and find out that way in public." Miyako gave a sheepish grin but couldn't tug her pigtail due to the free hand being clasped in his.

She'd have to find other ways to get him to smile and just flashed him a grin before moving on. They were almost to his apartment anyways.

If he were to find out, he'd rather just find out at home, and not...in a bar, even if people got drunk in them all the time. Even in front of a few other drunks, he would rather not be that way just to find out. If he were with people he knew...

...No, he'd...probably not prefer that either.

It was...a humiliating thought.

His apartment was just up ahead, so they'd be there soon; "I have...some food there, but if you stay long enough we can order...out again if you can think of better things..."

"I'm not really too hungry." Miyako's mind was focused on other things, much to the shock of the universe as she bent her head down and stole another stick from the box. "I'll probably fine as long as I don't stay too late!"

She hadn't...stayed the night since the rather embarrassing first night. And second day. Whoops. She hadn't wanted a repeat of that again, the rejection still stung even if he was leaving hickeys on her. Miyako was allowed to leave a few on him but after her first time on his stomach she hadn't really ventured too far from his neck.

It probably wasn't safe for either of their sanities at this point to really... try her staying over again.

That...was a surprise, usually she'd be excited at the mention of food. It was...definitely a surprise, but Aito attempted to mask it. He guessed her pocky would be enough then...?

"A...Ah." He nodded, looking ahead to see his apartment building.

If she got hungry she could just let him know.

He approached the door and unlocked it, stepping inside with Miyako behind him. Regalia stood from the bed at the sound of Aito and Miyako, giving a mew as she jumped from the bed and approached them.

His shock was a bit expected but it wasn't like she only thought of food! Miyako just smiled despite the small twinge of frustration she felt at that.

She had important thoughts too!

As he unlocked the door and his little greeter ran over, Miyako dropped his hand to make sure she could lift the fluff up.

"Hi cutie. You are looking as fluffy as ever." Miyako scooped up the attention starved kitten, holding her close and scratching her chin softly as she followed Hibiki in. She closed the door with her foot before having to set the kitten down and get her shoes off and following him inside.

Aaah but how did she get him to smile? Her thoughts were a jumble as she moved over to his kotatsu, setting the bag down and stripping her coat off for now. "I got all kinds to eat, so you can try as many as you want. Don't worry about opening them, I'll eat what you don't want."

Her words belayed her just utter frustration in her head.

"Do you want something to drink?" Aito questioned, not wanting to just sit down before...offering that.

Regalia ate up the attention she was being given, accepting all the pets from Miyako happily.

Aito had tried to hide his earlier shock, but... Well, considering food was...something she liked he hadn't been able to help but be surprised, it was...one way to bring about...happiness in her.

"Mm-mm. I'm not that thirsty, thank you though." Miyako fidgeted and squirmed as she sat there, a small frown on her lips as she thought over this dilemma...how...did one get Hibiki to smile?

Maybe...it was time to stop trying to do it secretly and just ask. Guileless green eyes glanced over and she smiled as she finally revealed what had been bothering her. "Say...Hibiki can you smile for me?"

At her answer, Aito moved to seat himself; he wasn't that thirsty either so...if neither wanted drinks there was no need to get them.

Though...

Miyako seemed...distracted?

He wasn't know if he was just imagining it, or if she actually was but...she definitely seemed...somewhat distracted.

Aito wasn't able to ponder that for long, or even ask what was on her mind before Miyako answered his question for him.

Sm...Smile!?

"H...Hah?" Smile for her? That... That wasn't that easy though, just...smiling. It would seemed...forced, and probably for him...really forced. "It...would seem forced..."

"Mm...true... Mrrrrgh!" Miyako made a small frustrated sound as she fell to her back, fluffing up purple hair and slightly rolling back and forth.

"I've never seen you smile before! I just can't imagine it and its bugging me and I've been wondering how to get you to smile." It was so hard to just sit here not knowing and yet trying to imagine and failing! And she had no idea what could even get him to smile either!

"I...just don't?" Aito replied; she'd never seen him smile because he just...didn't. Other than when he was riled up and became cocky he just...didn't. "I don't think I've really...actually smiled...since...I was a kid...?"

He'd been able to when he'd been really little, but...now he just didn't.

"Oh..." Well...that made sense. Miyako stopped her rolling, she'd seen Muika smile and Hibiki had been shocked to see that... so Iyuki must be something special to get her to after the things they wouldn't talk about.

"Maybe...practice?" She looked over at Hibiki from her spot on the floor and watched.

...Practice?

Aito blinked; she wanted him to...practice...or at least try to practice. How was he supposed to do something like that? Practice smiling? That was something...that was real? If it wasn't, they were...definitely making it real.

"...How?" Well, he hadn't objected.

Hibiki hadn't objected and Miyako blinked because...step two was not expected at all to have been an acceptable route.

She sat up and moved close to him, her face almost to his as she brought her hands up and lifted his lips with her fingers. "Like this. You lift them up, the edges, when you are happy."

Aito blinked once more as Miyako moved up closer to him, attempting to push the edges of his lips up like she had done once before. Like...that?

Just lifting them up just looked like he was just moving his face, not...smiling.

"Ah..."

"It works better if you do it with your cheek muscles. Lift up the corners." Miyako crawled onto Hibiki's lap, getting as close as possible without thinking to try and fix this problem. "Think of happy things? See watch me!"

Miyako thought of something nice, like all you could eat udon, and her smile was warm as she did so before it faded away. "Like that. Try it Hibiki!"

Aito listened to Miyako's advice; use his cheek muscles, and also he should think of things that made him happy, or happy things to help with that...

Miyako demonstrated, and he watched. It came...really easy for her, though him.

Try it...

He tried thinking of things, and tried as she had but at most it was a...kinda forced twitch of his lip. Not...Not working...

"Mn..."

"How come it looks so hard when you do it?" Miyako was staring intently at Hibiki's face, wondering why when he attempted to smile it seemed like it took great effort...and only a small twitch of the lips from such. She hmmed and tilted her head from side to side, moving her face closer as her hand came up to his lips.

He didn't mind her being this close and touching so she wasn't...too bothered by doing so though twinges came up. She kind of really liked how he didn't mind touches...it was nice to touch someone else.

"Mrrr... Are there times you can smile? Or sorta feel really happy? Maybe recreating a scene that works will help." Maybe there were things they could do to make him smile?

It...just did, he guessed. It'd taken effort just to get that twitch, yet that was hardly anything and it'd been...forced. Smiling just wasn't something that came easy to him, he definitely couldn't just smile on request, but...he was at least trying.

He didn't mind her moving closer to touch him; he wasn't bothered in the slightest really.

Times he could?

"Ah...they're not...happy I'd...say, more like...cocky?" Aito replied, thinking on it; he was able to when someone riled him up into some pointless argument, like with Selena, and he'd been able to do so when he'd been tormenting Okura...

So even those were...kinda rare.

"So...when you are cocky then you can smile? You didn't even smile when I was stepping on Iyuki..." Miyako noted softly to herself. When he was cocky... When Hibiki was cocky...

She tilted her head a bit again in confusion. "How do I make you cocky then? Is there something special I can do?"

A cocky smile was better than nothing and since he could do those maybe then... they could work up from there! It was at least a starting place.

"I...typically can when I'm in...some pointless argument, and I know I'm winning it?" Obviously it needed to be a real argument, but...that was one way he typically became that way. "The other was when I still could actually torment Okura, when I was still working...Since I was just monitoring I tended to just bother her."

Ruin her day, make her pissed...

Considering her Housewife and now his relation to said Housewife he couldn't really do that anymore up front... It always had to be subtle.

"...But what could I argue with you about that would be pointless? I would say your insistence on hickies only! But then I'd be winning it not you." Miyako sighed and thought about this. What kind of pointless arguments...

"Well you can't torment Muika, but you could torment me. That'd be fine!" She grinned, realizing that though the second option wasn't possible...maybe there was a third option! What else was there to do really?

"..."

It seemed...they were unable to think of a solution right off the bat, it wasn't like he could torment her, that was impossible, and he couldn't do that to Okura either, he really didn't...know anyone else.

What else was there to do?

"I would say...drinking might be the only option...aaah. Why can't you torment me? That was be easiest." Miyako hopped on Hibiki's lap in a bit of a frustrated manner, not knowing what to do. She could try to argue him out of hickies but like she'd said...she would win.

"Poke fun at me or make me all grumpy and get cocky! Mmm...lets see... What are some bad points you can poke fun at..." Miyako knew a lot but where to start? Maybe if she helped him he could begin...

"By torment I mean piss off and ruining someone's day..." To Miyako at least, he wouldn't do that; find bad points for him to poke fun at? Why...Why would he make fun of her? To torment was to legitimately piss off and upset...

Aito let out a small breath, and shook his head; "I'm not going to...point out flaws and make fun of them and legitimately upset you..."

That idea might as well be thrown out the window.

Drinking...the only option...?

Hibiki let out a breath and seemed genuinely against it and Miyako's heart fluttered at his words. Her smile was warm, pleased and happy despite her failure. "Mm... If it would make you smile I would let you... but it sounds like it'd just upset you. Would you get cocky from making someone flustered maybe? If you like seeing them upset...maybe a nicer upset would be similar?"

He didn't want to drink and she had no idea what kind of drunk he was so it'd be a wild card option... With no means of knowing if success was possible.