A/N: Ahhhh! Here's the last chapter. Sorry for the wait!

Chapter 5

Naru's P.O.V

The radio behind me sang on as we stared at each other in surprise. "Mai?"

"H-hey, Naru."

Behind her, I could see the bright yellow ambience of the city hub against the dark indigo backdrop of the night. I was at a loss as to why she would be here this late; why she would even be here at all. I had never given out our address to anybody (even though Mai has been continually pestering me for it). I inquired, curious to know how she had finally gotten a hold of my personal information, "How did you know to find this place?"

She laughed sheepishly and replied, "Oh, uhh, Mori-san texted it to me this morning... she said as a 'Christmas present'. Eheheh..."

Madoka. Figures. "And? Did you need something?"

"Sorry, is it a bad time?" When I looked at her blankly, she continued, "I just went to go buy some Christmas cake to bring to the party I'm headed to later and I thought since you and Lin-san's place turned out to be nearby, I thought I'd buy you guys some as well." She bit her lip and shyly handed me a red box, which I gingerly reached for, and then she hastily added, "I know you both don't like sweets that much, and you only eat vegetarian, so I just went for a fruit cake. I hope that's alright?"

I nodded, and after deliberating for a few seconds to myself, eventually acknowledged, "The sentiment is appreciated." Mai just smiled, most likely she anticipated my lukewarm enthusiasm at her gesture and was at least glad I tried to express my gratitude.

"Uhm, ok, so I guess I'll just be going now... Please also tell Lin-san I said 'Merry Christmas'..." I waited a bit before replying since she seemed to want to say something more, but all she did was let out a sigh. When she started rocking on her heels back and forth and failed to meet my eyes that she had no trouble meeting just a few seconds before, I had to fight down an urge to smirk. As always, Mai's face is effortlessly readable. She clearly did not want to leave just yet, but was too afraid to say anything else in fear of being too forward.

With a sigh, I pulled the door open wider and asked, "You can tell him yourself. He's out at the moment so you'll have to wait, but no doubt he'll be back before you have to head out to your appointment." Her smile widened and she nodded excitedly, stepping inside beside me as I closed the door softly behind us.

She gave the living room a customary glance as she removed her shoes and mused at how it was just as she expected-extremely neat and empty. "I can totally see you and Lin-san living here. By the way, where did Lin-san head off to? Or is it a secret?"

I sighed. "He just went out to go grocery shopping."

Mai planted her slim arms on her hips and sneered, "Do you always make others do your chores for you?"

"It's called 'task delegation'. I am the boss, after all."

She scoffed and echoed my words sarcastically, and then, as if it was something she'd been itching to bring up, she turned to me and asked, pointing at my apron, "Why are you wearing that thing?"

"Sometimes I wonder what it's like to be stupid like you."

"What did you say?!"

"Why else would I be wearing an apron, Mai? You should really try to exercise your brain more or your mental capacity will just continue to degenerate."

Her face reddened to almost match the hue of her hair as she gnashed her teeth and stomped on the floor. I smirked. This sight will never fail to amuse me. After I internally counted to ten, she eventually calmed down (as usual) and commented with just the slightest bit of annoyance, "I just never thought I'd see the day you decide to do some manual labor that has nothing to do with ghost hunting. I never knew you were capable of cooking."

"That still stands to be tested, my 'capability' at cooking, that is."

Her mouth slowly transitioned into a grin, obviously pleased at my rare show of humility, and decided an award was necessary so she decided to compliment my appearance. "You actually look good in that, you know?"

"Yes. And I also know you're quite aware that anything looks good on me," I replied back coolly and her face was rapidly getting exasperated again. Satisfied with our exchange, I walked back towards the kitchen and placed the box of cake onto the dinner table before turning to check on my currently boiling pasta. I commented off-handedly, "Lin doesn't trust me with cooking, so he's most likely rushing to get back home."

She skipped towards me and asked cheerily, "Well what are you making?"

"Lasagna."

"That's all? Won't you be having your Christmas Eve dinner?"

"This is just normal dinner. Lin and I are used to having the Christmas meal being eaten for dinner on the 25th. He's buying the ingredients for whatever meal he has planned out for tomorrow, though I don't suppose it's going to be anything special." I realized how I found myself, once again, humoring her by elaborting as she hummed at my response. A little put out of my realization, I suddenly ordered her to make tea in my attempt to control the situation. And maybe because I am also curious to know if indeed, Mai would be able to do something about the awful tea.

"Heh. Would I be getting paid overtime for this?"

"I'm not asking as your boss."

"And how exactly are you asking, then, huh Naru?" she asked, somewhat coyly, I think.

I answered straight, again without thought as to why I chose to say it as she was wont to always do to me, "As Oliver."

She paused for a bit and thought about what I just said. Then she asked uncertainly, "Sorry, you probably hate being called 'Naru', huh? Do you prefer we call you... well, it's a bit impolite, I feel, to call you O-ree-vah since you're this apparently really famous professor. How about Davis-san?"

I wrinkled my brow at how silly my real name sounded with the way she said it in her accent. "Your English really needs work, Mai."

"O-ree-vah. O-ree-vah. Is it really strange?"

I didn't deign to answer her as I turned off the heat and started draining the pasta.

"O-ree-vah. Oh-ree-vah? Ah-ree-vah?" she repeated, trying to sound it out in different ways in her efforts to match the way I said it.

Stop saying my name."

She laughed apologetically. "Yeah, you're right. Now the name sounds weird to me and I can't help thinking, 'is that even a name'? You get what I mean, right? Here: Mai, Mai, Mai, Mai, Mai. Mai." She laughed at herself and shook her head in disbelief. "See? Right, like right now I can't help but think, 'What the heck, can I really be called Mai?'"

I sighed. "Perhaps you should just get started on the tea."

"Ah, roger, Davis-san!"

"Stop."

She turned around. "Eh? Don't tell me I say that wrong, too?" She reached over me and took the kettle to fill it with water. As I watch her perform her task, I was suddenly reminded of a similar domestic scene that played about yesterday, at Yasuhara's grandparents' home. What had I felt when I watched her and Yasuhara-san bustling about together while serving food for their guests? It had been an unpleasant, yet not altogether unfamiliar feeling. But for the time being, I pushed the thought side. It's not something I want to ruminate upon at the moment since my attention was currently being called elsewhere, and if I ever hoped to even begin to wrap my head around these emotions then it would require me to contemplate it with undivided attention.

After Mai finished setting the kettle on the stove, she turned to me and raised a brow, expecting a reply to her question. "So? What's wrong with the way I say it?"

"I dislike it."

"Why!" she demanded, but once again I didn't reply. Mai turned away angrily and muttered, "Jerk," as she took the box of tea that was already on the counter and tore open three packages. She took a whiff of it and grimaced, then set it aside and made herself welcome to rummaging through our fridge, then let out a triumphant 'aha!' when she found a lemon. She slightly pushed me aside and took over my spot by the sink, rinsing the cutting board I was previously using, and proceeded to cut the lemon in quarters.

I cleared my throat and decided to clarify with her that there was nothing wrong with the way she said it. She immediately turned around and looked at me quizically, urging me to explain further. I gave a slight shrug and said, "I just didn't like you calling me that."

Mai asked slowly, "Why?"

"Too impersonal."

"Too impersonal?" she echoed. "You know I originally decided to call you Naru instead of that fake Shibuya Kazuya name you gave me because it's short for narcissistic, right? How much more impersonal can I get, using that name? And calling you with your actual name sounds impersonal to you? That doesn't make sense."

I stared back at her as she folded her arms across her chest, demanding an answer. "I don't expect you to understand. Your brain works differently than mine, after all."

But instead of going off in a huff, as I expected her to, she walked closer to me and grabbed the cuff of my shirt. She looked up at me with big, questioning eyes and begged softly, "Then please explain it to me."

I froze at our slight contact, which made her quickly relinquish her hold on me and apologize to me. I made no effort to console her for her forwardness, but she did relax slightly when I explained myself. "I believe the others have already clarified this: Noll is a nickname for Oliver. Knowing how awful your English pronunciation is, it's easy to pretend you're just mispronouncing my nickname. Going with that, Davis sounds more impersonal."

Mai, surprisingly, appeared to be extremely saddened by my revelation. Have I said something to dampen her mood that much? She murmured, "I don't like that you have to pretend that you're hearing me say your name. But you're right, my pronunciation is awful and even if I wanted to, I can't say your name properly..."

"So just stick to 'Naru' then."

She smiled at me and announced with determination, "I will get better, just watch. One day, I'll say your name right. But in the meantime, I want you to know that I will continue to call you Naru because that name has become important to me... Even though it was originally meant to tease you, it's still a nickname I've given you and..." she turned red again, "and... it's special to me... and makes me so happy that you decided to accept it." Right after those words, she turned swiftly back around and resumed her tea preparation quietly, no doubt berating herself for saying something she'd deem embarrassing. I let her have a few moments to collect herself.

Cooking the sauce would have to wait, I decided, as I took out two small plates and set them on the table. By the time Mai finished, I had already served two slices of cake for us to enjoy with our tea. I motioned for her to take a seat in front of me, and she took it silently.

She pursed her lips and said quietly, "This cake was for you and Lin-san."

"Lin wouldn't mind."

We sank back into silence as we ate the cake. It was actually quite decent, as far as desserts go. Not too sweet on the palate. I took a sip of the tea and was again pleasantly surprised to find that its taste was vastly different from how it was when I brewed it myself. What else besides lemon did she put? How long did she steep it for? I was planning on asking her the answer to these questions, honestly curious as I was to know, when I realized that she was also contemplating something to herself. I could make out from the tiny movements of her eyebrows that she made her mind up about something, and when she raised her eyes to look at me, we ended up catching each others' gaze. Her eyes were bright, cinnamon-colored orbs.

"Naru..." she began, her voice small. "Do you know why I came here?"

I could have been a smart aleck and replied, To bring me cake, but I refrained. It seemed the question was loaded and the answer much more complicated, given the way she began. I had an inkling where this conversation was headed, and frankly, I would like nothing more than to clarify a few things, even if to just straighten out a few things for myself. I replied carefully, "Because it's Christmas."

She smiled at my answer and nodded. "Yes. I was hoping to spend some time..."

"... With me," I finished, when she trailed off. Mai got a bit flustered and took a moment to compose herself by drinking her tea, but made it clear that I got it right.

"Remember what I said yesterday?"

"You're going to have to be more specific than that. You are quite talkative and say a lot of things."

She frowned in annoyance for a split second, but then decided to ignore my remark. "That Japanese Christmas is different from your version of Christmas," she insisted and I nodded. "Well, I am Japanese after all, so my version of Christmas... Ne, do you understand, Naru?" The smile she had on was calm, content, and so unsettingly devoid of any expectation. It was clear she was determined to make me understand her confession, yet believed it would most likely just be a one-sided conversation.

I understood exactly what she was saying, but I didn't want to help her out any more than I already had. I wanted to hear her say it again, even if it was just likely to be another confused attempt. "No, explain," I stated.

She fell for my lie and sighed. "Christmas Eve is a romantic holiday in Japan and I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with you." She paused. "My feelings for you are real, Naru."

I simply stared at her. I knew what she was going to say all along, but for some reason I was still mildly surprised, and for the first time, utterly lost and torn between several conflicting thoughts swirling inside me.

What about Gene? All along Mai had been looking for Gene in me. She mistakenly thought that her 'dream Naru's kindness was something the 'real' me truly had but kept well hidden, and when she realized I am me and the kind Naru was Gene, her affections redirected its course to its proper owner. And after all, it is really Gene that Mai needs, I think, for he's the kinder twin, the one capable of showering her with affections, the one better suited to match her persona.

And surely she knew Gene felt the same way about her? Gene, who lost his life far too soon and had his future stolen from him. Gene, my brother, the only one who truly understood me inside and out. Could I really allow myself to imagine a future with the person he held affections for? I, who could by default win, simply because I am alive and he isn't? Even though it was physically impossible for them to be with each other, their memories and interactions had been real. It would not be right for me to steal what belonged to Gene simply because we had the same face.

But what confounds me is how affected and agitated I'd become just recently at this turn of events, even though I had been initially numb to the rejection. I had done nothing, knowing her affections were meant elsewhere, and was perfectly content with just understanding my own emotions. I had suspected Mai's feelings for Gene was reciprocated, but it wasn't until I confirmed it myself, that my feelings suddenly awoke in me this fit of jealousy and regret. Because surely this was jealousy. I also felt it strongly yesterday, when I thought I lost her forever to Yasuhara-san. It had been a very sobering revelation, that while I denied myself and worried about hurting Gene, other men are free to come in and convince her to change her mind. Not that I could blame her for it. She was free to think for herself after all, so if Gene is unable to give her the happiness she deserves due to physical circumstances, and if I am unable to do so due to all manners of circumstances, then she should be allowed to look for her own happiness elsewhere.

But there is one person I've neglected to take into consideration in all this: myself. Which is ironic, seeing that people's top choice word to use when defining me is 'narcissist'.

What did I want? I wanted Mai to be happy. I wanted Gene to be happy. For that to happen, they needed each other. But I wanted Mai for myself. Yet I didn't want this to come between Gene and I. But I wanted to be happy.

Since I looked exactly like Gene, it could be possible she is able to spare at least some real feelings for me and I found myself strangely hoping for it. But that thought also irked me. I've had no qualms about being stuck in Gene's shadow in all the years we've been together, but now, the possibility of being liked second to Gene, as his replacement, did not settle right with me at all.

What to do with all these information? How can I sort it better so that I can logically arrive at a conclusion as to what I should do?

Finally I spoke. "Are you certain you're not getting confused again? The last time you said it, you had meant it for Gene." I watched her flinch at my brusqueness. "Mai," I continued, a little bit more forcefully this time, "Me, or Gene?"

She looked down and closed her eyes, carefully weighing her words. After a few seconds of silence, she said, "You were right to ask me that back then. I was confused. Well, that was to be expected, really, since both of you were lying to me about your identities." Mai managed to throw me a small, sad smile. "But now I have a better understanding and I will answer you honestly: I do like Gene. I like Gene."

Unlike before, I now felt hollow. I now realized that the reason why I was able to take it in stride before was due to the fact that I had plenty of things happening at the same time, and I never had the chance to fully process the situation. I nodded in understanding and was about to stand up to begin working on the sauce, when she grabbed my hand, making me pause in place. She didn't recoil at my flinch; her eyes shone at me in full determination and I realized she was not yet done.

"Naru. I like Gene. But it's Naru that I love." Her hands gripped mine tighter. "You are the one who's been with me in all my waking moments. You are the one who reached out to me and gave me my job. You are the one who taught me a lot of things, who exposed me to all sorts of exciting experiences. You are the one who saved me from all the troubles I've been in. You're the one who's teased me, made me angry, made me worry, made me blush, made me happy.

No doubt you thought I've been looking for Gene in you-I thought that too, initially. But I've had a lot of time to think about it and I realized, since I had absolutely no idea my dream Naru was a completely different person, if you think about it, I'd actually been forcing the image of Naru into Gene. Not that it's any better, and I really owe Gene an apology, but it's Naru I've been seeing everywhere. It's Naru I've been thinking about all along. And although I became infatuated with the image of Gene, it was with the assumption that it was you acting kindly, which, I know, you are capable of. And honestly, nothing else so far had made me blush harder than that moment when you smiled at me."

I noted with some amusement, how her face flushed differently this time, unlike the way it usually did when I made her angry. Right now, the hue softened her features and seemed to give her a kind of glow.

This new confession, made for me, clarified a few things in my mind. One: Mai was actually capable of introspection. Two: I did not mind the feel of her hand against mine (although this one I already somewhat knew. We have already held hands like this during the Kirishima case, after all). Three: I knew now what I wanted-everyone else be damned, even Gene.

I had not spoken a word through it all and I could tell she was beginning to worry. In response, I squeezed her hand back and held her gaze. I was about to say something when her obnoxious ringtone, in the voice of Bou-san's over enthusiastic screech, suddenly broke the moment.

Jou-chan, your phone is ringing! Answer it! Jou-chan, your phone is ringing! Answer it! Jou-chan your phone is-

I pulled my hand away from hers and Mai immediately looked at me with apologetic eyes, silently pleading me to excuse the interruption and to be willing to pick the conversation up again after. I simply shrugged and stood up, deciding that now would be a good time to get started on the pasta. I didn't want Lin questioning why I hadn't been able to at least prepare that much.

Behind me, Mai answered the phone. "Hello? Yasuhara-kun? Ah... yes. I did get ready..."

So she will be attending that party with Yasuhara-san. Lin should be here soon, but it really shouldn't matter that much if she is able to tell him her message in person or not; if she needed to go, then she should go.

I poured a little bit of oil into the pan and let it warm up before sauteing the garlic and onions. The aroma wafted into the air and I knew from Lin's previous experience, that although this smelled good now, in a couple of hours the smell that clung to your clothes and hair would be nauseating. Mai should probably stay away from the kitchen, if she still had another place she needed to be in.

"Well, no, I'm not home, actually. I had stepped out to buy cake for the party, but I got sidetracked. I'm somewhere else at the moment, but if you really want me to come to the party..." Mai's voice trailed and it was obvious she wasn't too enthused about going to the party.

I looked back at her and raised my brows. I said in a soft, low voice so only she could hear me, "If you don't want to go, why don't you just say so."

She covered the receiver and replied in a voice just barely above a whisper, "Because I have no excuse. If I don't go to the party, Yasuhara-kun will just drag me because I'll just be at my apartment celebrating Christmas all alone, anyway."

"You could spend it here."

Her eyes widened and her entire face lit up. She removed her hand on the phone and resumed her conversation. "A-actually, Yasuhara-kun, I'm really sorry but I don't think I can come today, after all."

I turned back to the pot and threw the mushrooms and bell peppers together. I didn't know how long I was supposed to wait for, but after a full minute, knowing that the taste of raw mushroom and bell pepper were not so terrible just in case I did this part wrong, I popped open the sauce bottle and dumped its contents into the pan, letting it simmer for a bit.

"Something just came up... No! I'm not lying. Really, I'm doing something at the moment." Mai stomped angrily on the ground and reiterated, "Really! I'm not just saying that to get away from the party. No, I'm not alone right now. I'm with... a friend... and they asked me to stay to spend Christmas with them. Agh, Yasuhara-kun, I promise you that I will not be alone and this isn't just some ploy to ditch you! Which friend? Ahh, that's..."

I took the phone from her hand and reiterated into the receiver, "Yasuhara-san. Mai is unable to attend the party with you as I've asked her to spend it with me instead."

"Wait, who's this? It sounds like... Shibuya-san?" his voice sounded incredulous. "Wait, you guys aren't at the office doing work stuff, right? Because that would be really awful for Mai."

"No, I assure you, we are not working."

There was a pause on the line, no doubt Yasuhara-san's mind was quickly reeling about at this new information I'd so willingly shared. Then, surprisingly, he relented. "Okay then, Merry Christmas to you both and hopefully I'll see you both tomorrow. Try not to have too much fun and stay safe," he insinuated provocatively before disconnecting the line.

I turned to Mai and admitted, "Yasuhara-san is... formidable and quite infuriating." She laughed heartily and agreed.

"He knows how to get under people's skins. We're lucky he's mostly on our side."

Silence reigned again and only the small bubbles popping from my simmering sauce could be heard. I turned off the heat again and set to layering the components of my lasagna.

Mai touched my elbow softly and asked demurely, "What... what does this mean... for us?"

"If it's a relationship you're looking for, I'm not confident of my abilities to meet your expectations."

She snorted. "What's this? Twice in a day Naru exhibits self-doubt?" The hand she had gently placed on my elbow shifted its position and instead clutched at the fabric, slightly tugging by arm back. "I don't expect everything to ride on you. We're both new at this."

"Then I suppose it's something we both will be working on as we go along."

Her eyes twinkled. "So this means? You and me?"

"Whatever this means."

She pouted. "Okay, I'll try to be patient with you, but promise you'll work on your end a little harder. I want to know, and want to hear from you, whether or not this means we are dating. Did you accept my confession? Did I become your girlfriend?"

I paused my work and turned my body towards her, our bodies so close to each other that I could smell her strawberry shampoo. "Yes. I did. And yes."

Mai smiled and murmured, "Okay, that's a bit better. We can still work on it, but it's an improvement."

She eyed my lips and seeing her do that made me unconsciously start mirroring her actions. Soon, I found myself leaning down and her tilting her head up, both of us in search of each others' lips, when suddenly we heard the door unlock and it opened, Lin's tall frame passing through the threshold and carrying a few bags in his arms. His face betrayed no surprise and no emotion as he greeted the two of us. I knew he saw the almost intimate moment before but just chose to ignore it, or at least, not bring it up. I greeted him with the same non-emotion he gave me, which was usually how our interaction went anyway.

As expected, only Mai was flustered. "A-ah, Lin-san! Hello! Good evening! Ah, we weren't... there wasn't...!"

I saw a small, thin smile pass through his face but he was able to keep his control. He ignored her spluttering and walked toward the kitchen, depositing the bags on the table and moving to take my place in preparing the dinner. I took the hint and ushered Mai out of the kitchen area and toward the door. I grabbed my coat and threw it on, saying, "We will head out for a bit. We will be back in time for dinner."

Lin nodded and made himself busy.

When we stepped out of the door, I planted a soft, chaste kiss on Mai's lips, taking her by complete surprise. She flushed from embarrassment, but surprisingly, rather than addressing the kiss I just stole from her, she asked, "Where do you plan on going?"

I shrugged. "I don't have anywhere particularly planned. I just didn't want to do that in front of Lin."

Mai grinned. "How about we just walk around the block for a while? I don't think it'll take him long to cook the food, so we shouldn't stay out too long." I nodded and walked on, but she suddenly bumped close into me and slipped her hand shyly into mine. "Is this okay with you?"

"It doesn't bother me. We've done this before."

"That's true! You held my hand then! I was really happy, even though I knew you did it because you had to make sure we didn't get separated."

"I didn't have to hold your hand like that, Mai. I could have just as easily grabbed you by your wrist."

She squeezed my hand. "So you just wanted to hold my hands then?"

I didn't answer, but I knew she understood my silence to mean yes.

"Naru? Next time you kiss me you don't have to steal it."

It was dark and no one was around to see us, so I paused in my steps and I turned to her, cupping her chin gently and bringing her lips close to mine. I murmured against her, "Is this okay with you?"

She hummed and smiled serenely before planting the kiss herself. Her lips brushed mine, softly and uncertainly at first, but eventually we both became more confident and we pressed deeper into the kiss. After running out of breath, we separated a few centimeters away, but I still held her chin and kept her close to me.

In a smug tone, I asked her, "I chose to ignore it before, but what's this about you liking Gene and loving me at the same time?"

She giggled, sending her breath tickling my lips. "Don't be jealous."

I looked at her in astonishment. "I am not jealous, Mai," I lied with my best poker face that I knew even Gene would not be able to accurately ascertain.

"You probably won't understand, but crushes are harmless. And it's because I'm still in that mildly confused state, so you'll have to excuse me, but I did think he was you for an entire year, you know. But rest assured, I only have my heart reserved for you, Naru. It's always been you." She gave me another kiss. I think I could get used to this feeling.

"Acceptable answer, for now," I said. "I don't like sharing."

END

A/N: It was really difficult trying to write Oliver's conflicting emotions coherently on paper. I think Oliver isn't dense, so he knows what's going on, but what's stopping him from liking Mai was the fact that he cared so much about these two people and didn't want to cause any trouble. But of course, he is also prideful and knows what he wants, so everything is just a mess. So for me, I wanted him to say, 'fuck it' and go for it!

Thank you so much for your support so far and for taking the time to read this! I have a few ideas planned out that could be related to this plot line, so please look out for that, though I don't know when I'll be able to post.

If you liked this, and haven't already, please read my main project, Game, Set, and Match!. My profile pic is actually an image of Naru and Mai in that AU universe.