Six cannoli, separated by wax paper, snuggly sitting in a pink box on Mitsukuni's lap, a gift from an appreciative customer.

And now there are five.

I swear he's doing this to tease me, slowly unwrapping each one and instead of biting into it like a normal person, he laps at the creamy mascarpone filling. I can't bear to look at his tongue darting back and forth, his lips getting covered with the white...stuff, the satisfied closed eyed look on his face. He'd gone through five of them like this since we got in his private car to go home.

"Mina-chan was so nice to bring these from her trip to Sicily," he says, licking his lips clean. "Want one, Takashi?"

I shake my head and quickly find something else to look at outside of the car. No, I'm not interested in sweets right now. Though with the show he's putting on, I'm starting to become interested in something else entirely.

"Are you sure?" His voice was less sugary, less high pitched; Mitsukuni's normal speaking voice. I look at him, and he's smirking, the dessert close to his lips, blond eyebrow cocked. Now I know he's doing this on purpose, and I feel my face getting warm. He's very, very good at this game, though no one would believe me if I told them.

"I'm sure." Despite my best intentions to control it, my own voice holds a hint of an edge to it.

The smirk widens and vanishes into his usual happy smile, eyes open and innocent. "Ah well, that's more for me!"

And now there are four.