Disclaimer: I own nothing, for the final time.

A Favor Repaid

Maki stared up at the ceiling, contemplating the sudden turn in her life. The mattress beneath her was luxuriously soft – a stark contrast to the old, worn-out single she was used to.

'How is it my damn fault that the tub drain was clogged?' she seethed for the umpteenth time. 'If that stupid landlord took care of the building like he was supposed to, none of this would've happened!'

As it turned out, the water from her bath incident had leaked through the ductwork and had severely damaged another tenant's ceiling and walls. Not only had she been evicted, the landlord had kept her damage deposit and demanded additional funds to cover the costs.

'Damn vulture! I spend years in that shithole and he doesn't so much as lift a finger to repair the existing damages. Then I have one tiny accident and he squeezes me for all I've got!' she griped, reflecting on the sad state of her finances.

As it stood, she had some money left, but it wasn't enough to get a new apartment. Staying with her father had been out of the question, and while her friends had offered her their assistance, she knew most of them were in no position to be taking on a roommate.

Mina, however, was insistent, and had eventually convinced her that she had more than enough space to accommodate a temporary guest. She hadn't been kidding. The garage had been more than sizeable enough to store her few meager belongings and the 'guest room' she'd been offered was nearly the size of Maki's old apartment. It even had its own bathroom!

And now here she was, sprawled across a gloriously cushy king-sized bed, wondering what to do with herself. She couldn't stay forever. While she doubted Mina would ever complain, she didn't want to impose. Her friend had already done so much for her. She'd offered the girl's parents what little money she did have to pay for her stay, but they had refused, insisting it was perfectly fine. They were lovely people. Such happy, lovely people.

It made her really uncomfortable.

'Is it super fucked up that I feel weird about that? Like I'm so messed up that I living with a normal family makes me edgy?'

She draped an arm over her face, running through her options.

'I need a job,' she decided. 'But I have no idea how long it will take me to find one, or how long it will be before I can save up enough to get my own place.' The idea of staying here for very long made her want to run headfirst into a wall… or throw herself down some stairs… something like that.

Apart from the fact that she hated imposing, she needed some space from her enthusiastic friend. Mina was everywhere. When she opened her door the dark-haired girl was only ever a few steps away. When she went to the kitchen, she was there. Maki had a sneaking suspicion that – even though she'd told Mina how she felt – the girl still fostered some affection for her. So she spent most of her time in her room, wondering how to move forward with her life.

A little voice in her head reminded her of her other option, the one she had purposefully avoided thinking about. 'Maybe it's time to think about it.'

She frowned, clasping her hands together over her abdomen. Julietta had made her an offer, but she had refrained from mulling it over too much. Why? Because she was still really confused about that whole situation. Did she like him? Yes. Did she want to have a relationship with him? She didn't know. She was still young, and this whole 'letting people get close to her' thing was still a pretty new concept.

'But… maybe… I don't have to be in a relationship with him. He did make me an offer, but living with him doesn't mean I'd be dating him, right?'

She thought about that for a while, weighing the pros and cons.

Pros:

I'd be living rent free

His meals are delicious

Living with him would piss my father off

Cons:

He can get a little annoying sometimes

I'll have to explain my new living situation to my friends

He's a HUGE pervert

As she remembered his mouth and hands on her skin she wondered to herself if she could even consider that last one a con… maybe a little bit of both? None the less, the pros definitely seemed to outweigh the cons.

"Well alright then," she said to herself, a little smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Julietta stared at his computer screen, pouring over his work, seeking out errors and finding none. Demands had piled up during his little 'vacation', and he had a lot of catching up to do. He was grateful for the distraction.

Thoughts of his red-haired beauty had been taking up much of his time, and he found the lack of her presence gravely depressing. The brief stay with her had been paradise, and now his world felt empty again, her absence in his life physically painful.

He was haunted by images of her, could still feel her phantom caresses, taste her on his tongue. How long before he would see her again? A week? A month? He didn't know, but even the briefest instant without her seemed an eternity of torment.

Suddenly something tingled along the edges of his awareness, and he heard a minute shuffling outside his door. Hope swelled to life in his chest, and he stood abruptly, knocking his chair down as he did so. When he got to the door and ripped it open… there she was, looking beautifully bewildered at the sight of him, her hand raised as though to knock.

"Maki," he rasped, relieved and delighted.

"Uhm… hi."

They stood in the threshold for an awkward collection of seconds, her eyes darting nervously to and fro, landing on anything but him.

He smiled. "Won't you come in?"

She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Stepping out of her shoes she padded quietly to where she knew the living room was. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him, hands balled into determined fists at her sides. Julietta swept her into a crushing embrace, burying his face in her hair, breathing her in like a man starved for air.

"Whoa! Hold on a second!" she protested, wiggling in his grip. He released her after only a moment's hesitation – which she was thankful for – and she righted herself, straightening mussed clothing and then lifting her head to catch his gaze. He was smiling at her.

"I've missed you."

She blushed, and though she admitted to sharing his feelings, she decided to keep it to herself for now. She needed to cut right to the chase.

"I'm here to ask a favor of you."

He nodded, signalling for her to continue.

"I got kicked out of my apartment a little while ago and right now I'm staying at a friend's house, but it's kinda a temporary thing. So… I guess what I'm trying to say… could I possibly stay with you?" Maki fidgeted as she spoke, her brows furrowed in embarrassment.

"My home is your home, for however long you need," he responded without delay.

Maki didn't miss the hint of eagerness in his voice.

"Does this mean you've reconsidered my marriage proposal?" he crooned, smiling crookedly.

She spluttered, waving her hands around in mortification. "What?! No! Why would you-ugh, never mind! Look, we need to get this straight. I'm seventeen years old, and you're… what, in your mid-thirties?"

"Love has no limits."

"Said the creepy old pervert," she muttered, glowering when he smiled. She sagged a bit, sighing, "Right now I'm just looking for somewhere to stay so I'm not inconveniencing my friend longer than I have to. That doesn't mean we're together, okay?"

His smile faltered a little, but his expression remained soft. "Whatever you need. You were kind enough to lend me your home when I needed it. I will gladly offer the same."

She nodded, feeling better about everything. Reaching out tentatively, she touched his arm, admitting, "You were right… about a lot of things, and I'm thankful that you were able to teach me so much about myself and about letting go of my anger. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't… fond of you, in a way, but I don't really know if I'm ready for a relationship like this. I need time."

He took hold of her hand, bringing it gently to his lips and placing the softest of kisses on her knuckles. "I would move heaven and earth for you, Maki. Take all the time you need. I'll be here… waiting for you."

She pulled her hand free, feeling flustered by his affections, but also finding a comforting familiarity in them. Grinning, she told him, "You know Shiro is gunna try to kill you when he finds out about this?"

"He may try," Sakamoto responded dryly. "He will fail."

She swatted playfully at him. "And y'know if you hurt him I'll have to kick your ass. Railing on that useless excuse for a man is my job."

His flat expression blossomed into one of delight and desire. "I would love to have a rematch with you, to watch you in your element again, to feel your spirit caressing me with its wildness."

She felt a headache coming on.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

That's all she wrote! I know a few of you were hoping for a steamy end lemon, but there will be none for this story.

I leave you here, the ending open to your interpretation. Though – personally – I like to think that after a while she isn't so concerned with finding a new place to stay, and he grows on her, little by little. After a few years of his heckling she finally admits to herself that she's grown to love him.

But that's just me. ;)

Thank you for the hits and for all of your support!

CR~