It's Not Just About Food Anymore

(For all those who wanted more)

''What would you like to eat?'' he asked, his expression polite, but Mikan noticed that twitch around his mouth, which indicated he had a hard time not to smirk. She finally decided to bring her friends to the restaurant where Natsume worked and she too had a hard time not to laugh. Her four girl friends were gawking at him. Literally gawking at him. She thought she saw Anna wipe a trace of saliva off her chin. Nonoko was even worse; her eyes were glued at his chest instead of looking at the menu. Sumire was simply staring at him; she did not remember him from the bar from that time. The biggest surprise was Hotaru; Mikan's best friend who was usually cool, collected, and stoic. Right now, she was gaping up at the gorgeous man that was supposedly Mikan's boyfriend.

Mikan was afraid for a moment that he would be annoyed at her friends' reaction, but it seemed he was far more amused as expected. ''I'd like Yakisoba, please.'' Mikan replied with a smile and looked around at her friends. They were still gawking. She giggled then, and that seemed to wake up Hotaru.

''Uh… Um… Oden, please…'' she stuttered and glared at Mikan.

''I'd like Tempura, please.'' Was Sumire's reply, but she did not stop staring at Natsume. Anna and Nonoko seemed to be in a daze. Nonoko even licked her lips, as if she was staring at a fine piece of meat. ''Um… Tonkatsu.'' Anna nodded and mumbled: ''The same, please.''

Natsume wrote down their orders, bowed slightly and walked away. All the girls were still staring at him.

''Kami-sama…'' whispered Anna and finally looked at Mikan. ''Is he as good as he looks like?'' she asked, her cheeks slightly red. Mikan laughed and smirked at her friends. ''Better.'' Anna, Nonoko, and Sumire groaned. ''You lucky cow…''

Hotaru did not say anything for a few moments, but once she could not take Mikan's satisfied smirk, she finally sighed and admitted sheepishly. ''You told the truth.''

Mikan grinned at her friends and drank her juice in satisfaction.

''So… Natsume Hyuuga. What did you do to get him?'' asked Anna and Mikan glared, making the others laugh.

''But, Mikan… You found yourself a really, really, really nice piece of…'' Nonoko's eyes glazed over for a moement. ''Man… Is he a model or something?''

''And those eyes. Kami-sama, I thought I'll drawn…'' mumbled Sumire and nibbled at her lip. ''And he was really there at the bar, when Koko asked me out?''

Mikan nodded. ''Yep, right beside me. I guess you were too busy to have noticed him.''

Sumire grimaced. ''Ugh… Not that Koko isn't great and all, but this Hyuuga…'' She fanned her face with her hand. Mikan's four friends were all blushing and Mikan could not help but feel really proud. ''And for your information, he came searching for me – not the other way around.''

Hotaru rolled her eyes. ''Did you strip in front of him or something?''

Mikan gasped in a playful shock and shook her head. ''Of course not…'' she glanced up then, her cheeks slightly red. ''At least not until we arrived at my place…''

The girls groaned again and Mikan got a slap on her shoulder from Sumire.

''Why is it always you?!'' Nonoko moaned and looked up when she noticed Natsume walk around the restaurant, serving other tables. ''You've got a great job with a salary trice of mine; you're beautiful; and you got a god for a boyfriend!''

The girls laughed, but Mikan shook her head. ''I was single for quite some time, you know? And I fought tooth and nail for my job. And me, beautiful?''

''You did wait quite some time, Mikan. But you had your chance with that Akira guy.''

''Oh, please don't. He was asking me out every day and instead of giving up, he went to my parents and asked them to allow me to go on a date with him. Kami-sama… Lucky me, I met Natsume that evening.'' Mikan whined and glanced at her boyfriend who started walking towards their table to serve them the food.

''Here you go. Oden for you, miss.'' After him came three other waiters who served them all their food. Natsume brought Mikan's Yakisoba. ''Anything else?'' he asked, close to her ear, for he was kneeling next to her at the table. Shivers ran down Mikan's spine and she blushed furiously. She shook her head because she was not able to voice out her answer. This time Natsume did smirk and almost unnoticeably licked his lips, before he stood up and walked away. Mikan stared behind him, embarrassed to have reacted like a horny teenager. But she really did get… quite… uh… exited…

Man, his voice…

''Kami-sama…'' Mikan heard Sumire speak up and turned towards her friends. They were all read again. Even Hotaru was gulping down saliva. ''I think I just got w-'' Hotaru coughed loudly to prevent Sumire say something that was not for everyone to hear. ''Anyway… Your boyfriend, Mikan, is really-'' Hotaru started to say, but the other three girls beat her to it.

''Hot…''

''Sexy…''

''I'd like to eat him…'' Anna said and made everyone look at her.

Mikan laughed, trying hard to stifle down her voice. ''Let's just eat. Before one of you says something strange again.''

They all laughed and started to eat, but they kept talking about the handsome guy and stole glances at him whenever possible. When Mikan's friends learned about Mikan having a serious boyfriend a few weeks ago, they did not quite believe her when she told them that he was really, really handsome. And that he was her serious boyfriend. Among girlfriends, Mikan was known for being not that serious with guys, and when she was, they were usually pitiful men with a sappy background story.

But after four months, Mikan was still happily chatting about the guy who was making her nights quite enjoyable. And finally, the girls wanted to meet him. Mikan explained to them that he worked as a waiter in this fancy restaurant, and Hotaru simply demanded that Mikan invited them to dinner at this restaurant. She would have to pay of course. Mikan did have in fact a very nice salary – one even Hotaru was jealous of.

And once the girls arrived and Mikan pointed at Ntasume, they did not believe her that it was really him. But then he walked towards them and greeted Mikan with a ''Oh, you really came.'' And with such a devious smile, even Hotaru's knees wobbled for a second.

And since the beginning of their girl-night, they were not able to not stare at the poor guy.

''So, when will you formally introduce him to all of us? I mean to the whole group?'' Anna asked and munched at a piece of meat.

Mikan blinked at her and blushed. ''Well… I don't know. When will we all go out again? We could all go to the summer festival together and maybe then…'' she had never really introduced a boyfriend to her group of friends. Even when she had serious intentions with a guy, she did not do it. But with Natsume… She did not want to hide him. She wanted to show him off in front of her friends and then spend the rest of the day with him. He was really great to be with. He was not as talkative as she was, but when he had something to say, she could not help but listen and debate about a topic with him. It had been a very long time since it last happened, but her heart was beating faster and she felt all excited whenever she even thought about him. It was like she fell in love for the first time. Her eyes were shining, and her hands were shaking whenever he was near, and she could not help but rush towards him and kiss the hell out of him. He was such a special person. She even daydreamed about him!

''He has a tricky schedule so we'll have to plan it out and he'll have to see if he'll be free that evening. It would be great.'' Mikan explained, smiling to herself. She would really like to introduce him to her friends.

''Did he introduce you to his friends already?'' Hotaru asked and Mikan nodded with a gentle smile on her face. ''Yeah… To his co-workers and his two best friends. Last Friday, when I asked you guys to come here with me today. I was a little embarrassed, to be quite honest, but… He made sure to let everyone know…'' Mikan giggled, remembering last Friday.

Natsume had asked her to come to the restaurant in the evening, when his shift would end. When Mikan arrived there right after one of her late meetings with her clients, wearing high-heals, a red bottom-up shirt and a black pencil skirt, she became the centre of attention. Natsume welcomed her with a soft kiss on the lips and led her to his co-workers with his hand around her hip. All the waiters stared at her with wide eyes.

''Man… Hyuuga… You lucky bastard!'' exclaimed one of the guys and Mikan laughed, while blushing.

''Guys, this is Mikan Sakura, my girlfriend. Mikan, these are my co-workers, Kitsuneme, Mochiage, Hayate, and my best friends Tsubasa and Misaki.'' He introduced them and Mikan smiled, surprised that Natsume decided to introduce her.

''Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you.''

''Hello, Sakura-san. So you're Natsume's girlfriend. We were pestering him about finally showing you since he told us about having someone. I don't remember the last time he ever showed a gi-''

''All right, all right… No need for details.'' Interrupted Natsume Misaki and Mikan noticed the slight blush on his face. She felt so happy. She did not think he was really serious about her, but considering he spent almost all of his free time with her and sometimes with his friends, she realized she was wrong. He really wanted her in his life.

She smiled at him like a girl in love and Misaki who noticed this squealed, making everyone look at her. ''She's being shy! She's all red in the face! Aww!'' Mikan blushed even more and giggled in embarrassment. Natsume hugged her from the side and smirked down at her.

''Hey, Mikan-chan – can I call you Mikan? What do you want to drink? Or eat?'' Tsubasa asked her with a smile on her face and Natsume led her to a table where all his co-workers sat down. ''Oh… Um… I-um… What do you have to offer?''

Natsume chuckled, noticing her nervous state and ordered a group dinner for all of them. The restaurant was open until late in the night; and other waiters were serving them now. The group ate, drank, and talked until very late, and Mikan felt so happy that she had a hard time not smiling like an idiot. And Natsume paid attention to her the whole time. He told her some inside jokes, explained where and how he met these guys, and made sure everyone knew who exactly Mikan Sakura was.

That night, when they walked to Mikan's apartment, a little drunk and excited, Mikan confessed to him that she liked him. He admitted that he wanted to tell her the same thing, but in the morning, when he could serve her breakfast again. Now he could not wait for morning. And Mikan was glad they admitted their feelings – the night became more romantic than she expected. And the weekend was such a dream for her, she thought she might die a happy woman. He made her feel… Incredible things… Not just physically. Emotionally. Her chest almost exploded every time they were together and she would scream in joy if she could.

That is why she decided to introduce him to her closest friends. And here they were now; having a girls' night in the restaurant he was working. When they all finished eating, they continued to chat for some time until Natsume's shift ended. Dressed in his casual clothes, he swaggered towards their table and Mikan had to gulp to stop herself form jumping him. He smirked and sat down next to her.

''Hello, ladies.'' He greeted and the girls blushed at his alluring voice. He pecked Mikan on the lips and she smiled at him. ''Hey, you… I thought you'd never come.''

He shrugged and put his arm around her waist. ''Had to check the loudest table.''

The girls laughed and Mikan rolled her eyes. ''Natsume, these are my friends Hotaru, Anna, Nonoko, and Sumire. Girls, this is Natsume.''

''Hey.'' He greeted them casually and chuckled when Anna wiped saliva off her face.

''So… Hyuuga-san… How in the world did you manage to make Mikan settle down?'' Nonoko teased and Natsume chuckled, glancing at the blushing Mikan. ''With food, I guess.''

Mikan groaned in embarrassment, but the girls ignored her whining and kept pestering him about details. In the end, the only thing he actually told them was that he was good in the kitchen. And the girls, being all excited about this, finally decided to make him a part of the group.

''Hyuuga-san, we were just talking about going to the Summer Festival. The others would be there, our boyfriends and other guys, and if you and your friends have time, we could all go together.'' Sumire explained.

Natsume thought about it. ''The Summer Festival is in two weeks, isn't it? I think the restaurant is closed for the festival, so there should be no problem.''

Mikan smiled brightly at him. ''Really? That would be great…'' she whispered and Natsume gazed at her with that strange look that made her all weak.

''Kami-sama.'' Interrupted Hotaru their love gazing. ''I'm going to get diabetes if I you two continue with this atmosphere.''

They all laughed and Mikan blushed again, feeling extremely happy. The group chatted for some time, until they all decided that it was time to head home. Mikan and Natsume walked towards Mikan's apartment, taking their time, and enjoying the warm night. They held hands and Mikan grinned like an idiot, while listening to his stories about his day.

''Hey… I was thinking…'' he started and nervously glanced from her and to the front. ''Um… My sister is coming home from her Europe traveling, and… um… My family organized a welcome party for her, so… If you want, you can-''

''I'd be glad to come.'' Mikan interrupted him with a gentle smile, gazing at him with a loving expression. He would like to introduce her to his family members, and Mikan could not believe how happy she was. Until now, when a guy asked her to meet his parents, she up and ran away, ending the whole thing, too scared to make their relationship official. But not with Natsume. She was not scared at all.

''Yeah?'' Natsume grinned and she nodded. ''All right… Great! The party will be next month, on the fifth.''

''Great! And then we could go to the next Festival the Friday after that. And your sister could come with us – and her boyfriend; if she has someone…''

''Yeah, she has; Yuichi. And she's Aoi. She's a photographer and well… You know, she travels a lot and such…''

''Must be great to have a sister. I had a younger brother, but he died with two years.'' Mikan explained sadly and Natsume pulled her closer. ''I'm sorry to hear that.''

Mikan shrugged her shoulders. ''I was just five years old when it happened, so it didn't affect me that much. My parents… Well, they're ok now.'' She quickly brushed the matter off and pulled him behind her into her apartment, which he seemed to like better that his own. She looked at him, her eyes inviting, and seduced him into her bed, taking her time to explore his body, and letting him pleasure her as long as possible.

The Summer Festival was a big step for Natsume. He was not one for too much company; he was happy with just his girl and friends, but Mikan introduced him and his friends to her group of friends, and the number of people he got to know suddenly expanded. He already knew Koko and Sumire, and the other three girls Mikan brought to the restaurant. But now he also met other guys, like Ruka Nogi, Yuu Tobita, and a few others the name of which he honestly did not remember.

Mikan had told him some time ago that she and Koko had had a friends-with-benefits relationship for a few years, and at first, he did not feel really good about it. The happy-go-lucky guy was still a very good friend of hers, and they hung out in the bar whenever Natsume was not around. But he realized that he guy was really serious with his current girlfriend, and Mikan assured him that she was not one for cheating. He was also happy that no one else knew about Mikan's and Koko's past relationship; it had been an agreement between the two of them, and they agreed that no one else needed to know about it.

Mikan did tell Natsume, because she wanted to be completely honest with him and because she knew he was an outsider who just came into the group. Sumire on the other hand would not have reacted that calmly; especially because she knew both Mikan and Koko for years, and would not be able to just accept and forget about it. So Koko decided not to tell her.

And right now, while they were all happily walking around the area of the Summer Festival, Mikan was glad she had told Natsume everything about her past relationships. They had had a talk a few days ago, telling each other everything about their life.

They were lying in bed; well, Natsume was lying and Mikan was sitting cross-legged, wrapped in his shirt, her long hair hugging her body. He was watching her with a soft smile on his face, listening to her soft voice, while she was telling stories from her school-life.

''Quite honestly, I just wanted to become a kindergarten teacher.'' She explained. ''I love children and all, and there would not be much to do; but you know… That I would have to take care of them for the next 40 years… It was plain boring! I wanted more from life, you know. I was very good in school, but no one expected me to enter an automotive-business branch, so it was trice as fun to prove them that I'm good at it.'' She smirked, remembering her father's shocked face and her mother's proud smirk. She was really her mother's clone.

''And you know, I was used to be in charge also in my private life. All my ex-boyfriends were great at first, even enthusiastic about my career and ambitions, but with time they just wanted me to settle down and become a normal housewife, you know, become a traditional Japanese woman – and I, I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I don't have anything against housewives; I admire them that they're able to live like that, but I need my freedom; I need to be my own person with my own life. I can share it of course, but I don't intend to change it.'' She explained to him seriously, watching him for a reaction.

Natsume nodded. ''I know what you mean. I understand you. My mother is the same as you and I can only say that you girls are amazing handling your career and family life the way you do. I'm not sure I'd be able to do so many things at once. And those guys who wanted you just to have you were morrons. Frankly, I wouldn't like you as much if you weren't the way you are.'' He played with the tips of her hair, making her smile. ''You're energetic, very smart, and capable to take care of yourself. You love to live, you love to work, and you've got so many plans for yourself that I'm not sure I can keep up.'' He smiled, sitting up, facing her. ''But I wouldn't want you to be any different. All these features make you so very special and attractive, and there's no wonder so many try to get you.'' He kissed her and Mikan embraced him, running her fingers over his skin.

''To be quite honest, I didn't have many girlfriends till now.'' He continued, kissing her shoulders. ''I had just three; one in high-school, one in college and one for some time when I started working. I had some nasty experience with girls attacking me when I was younger, so I avoided them.'' He chuckled and made Mikan giggle.

''You had fan-girls?'' she asked, enjoying his lips on her skin. He nodded. ''Something like that. It made me scared of them until high-school.''

Mikan laughed at that and Natsume gently pushed her down on her back, looking into her eyes. ''But you know, I'm glad you avoided girls and that you didn't have many. Because I have no intentions of letting another near you.'' She told him, hugging his face with her hands and pulled him down for a sensual kiss.

Natsume slowly unbuttoned the shirt from her and looked at her in a way that made her breath hitch. ''I'll make you feel things that no one else has before. And then you won't even think about anyone else, even less try and go out with someone else.''

And he was telling the truth. Mikan was completely mad for him. She smelled him all around her, and could not stop thinking of him where-ever she was and whoever she was speaking with. His eyes were burned into her brain, and the feeling of having his body next to her, his scent in her nose – it was making her feel all crazy. She was so very much in love with him that she could not help herself but sigh like a love-sick girl whenever she was alone in her office. She wanted to talk with him non-stop; she wanted to have him in her bed every night; and she wanted to be with him. She wanted to be with him so much that she thought about if this was actually healthy. Was it normal to feel so much for a person?

With all these strong emotions also came fear. During moments of solitude, she felt terrified and even let out tears of frustration. She had never let anyone that close to her, even less in such a short period of time. Was this actually all right? Would she lose focus on her own life? Would she get so scared and hurt him? Was it really all right to be so happy right now? Because karma is a bitch and it could all turn around and bite her in the ass. And she really did not want that. She did not like failure. She never let herself fail in anything because she up until now, she always had to prove to others that she was better than expected. And relationships were also something she did not want to fail in. Especially not with Natsume. He was just… He was so different than any other person. He was so special. He was so special to her that it made her even more scared.

And she was always shaking whenever she was about to meet him, but then… Then she saw him, and he looked at her, and kissed her – and she forgot about the world around her.

She told him her fears the night before the Summer Festival and he told her he felt the same fear. She suddenly became a big part of his life and he could not control it. Of course, it did not affect him that much as it did her, because he knew he wanted her anyway; but she felt a little more shaken – not used to have someone like that in her life. He smiled at her gently when she was close to tears and hugged her, whispering promises into her ear that she doesn't need to be afraid; that he would take care of her. And she did not believe him right away, but she truly wanted to.

And after their honesty-talk, she decided to give herself and him time, and just explore their time together. And she felt way better after that decision. A weight fell off her shoulders and suddenly she felt at ease.

That is why she had no problem finally introducing him to her friends at the Festival. He seemed a little shy at first, but then got into a conversation with the guys and suddenly he became a part of the group.

Mikan felt satisfied. Two groups of people came together and clicked. They walked around, ate and drank, watched the spectacle, and played games. And when the fireworks began, Natsume pulled her close and Mikan smiled at him. She kissed him slowly, longingly and then they hugged. He ran his lips over her ear and whispered: ''I'm in love with you.''

Mikan's heart almost leaped out of her chest and she pulled him closer. ''I'm in love with you too.'' She whispered back and looked at him. His eyes were shining and he was grinning at her like a little boy. Mikan grinned back, blushing a little, and then she kissed him. The Summer Festival was indeed a great one.