schmoop_bingo: The Little Things (Ghost Hunt)
Title: The Little Things
Fandom: Ghost Hunt
Prompt: bad day
Medium: fic
Rating: PG/K
Word Count: 1,567
Notes: I do not own Ghost Hunt, unfortunately.
Bingo Card: Here ♥
On a bad day, it was always the little things that made Mai feel better.
Anyone in Shibuya Psychic Research could tell whenever Mai had a bad day at school. She would always have the same slumped posture, as she walked into the office; the same downcast look on her face that told everyone she just wanted to curl up in bed and forget about life for a while. And that day was no different.
She never really talked about it much. She hated being a burden on others, so she always kept the details to herself, only giving the bare minimum whenever asked. Any bad mood that resulted from events of the horrid day, she tried to suppress. She didn’t that kind of negativity spilling into her work, and if anything, work was supposed to take her mind off it all. She would immerse herself in it. Just being surrounded by Naru, and Lin, and Monk and the others-all the people she considered her family-was enough. And after working with them on a case for a while, she would forget the day had ever happened.
It was a little difficult for her that particular day, though. There was no case, no work for her to drown herself in. So she was forced to sit there, rather awkwardly, with Lin in the office. No one else was there. Monk was performing a concert and wouldn’t stop by until afterwards. Masako was attending an interview with some TV studio or another. Ayako had her own priestess duties to attend to, she supposed; she never liked to elaborate. John was with his Church. Yasu was at college, and couldn’t really come back unless he planned it in advance, and Naru was doing who knew what.
“He should be back soon,” Lin said suddenly. Which was a bizarre thing to hear, considering how infrequently he spoke. He must have started to feel real sorry for her, she realized, if he was the one trying to strike up conversation. “He’s actually meeting with a potential client right now… so we should know soon if we have a case.”
Mai gaped at him, dumbfounded at the fact that he spoke before she did, but also at the fact that he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking about. Though, thinking about it, she supposed it wasn’t too hard to figure out-especially considering how observant Lin was, and how long he had known her. Still, though, she couldn’t help but feel surprised.
“Right,” she replied. She at least tried to sound more enthusiastic, and less tired, which was how she felt at the moment. He seemed to go back to typing right away, and at that point, she wasn’t sure he was even listening. It didn’t stop her from talking, of course. Few things could, if she wanted to. “Thanks, Lin.”
A sigh escaped her lips, as she sat herself down on one of the couches in the office. She needed to find a way to pass the time, it seemed. She considered a nap, of course, since she was pretty much ready to fall asleep right then anyway, but she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable, doing that with Lin in the room. Worse yet, Naru might walk in on her too, and she couldn’t see any good coming out of that.
But it was all right. She wasn’t so tired she couldn’t stay awake, though she did find herself wishing she had gone with Monk to his concert. That would have been a good way to kill time-and a fun one, too. She supposed it was too late now. And there she was, stuck waiting. Without a good book to read, even.
She considered making herself some hot tea at that point; it was a cold day outside, and hot tea was usually sure to make her feel better. It was that moment, though, that she realized they were completely out of tea. She was supposed to pick some up on the way there-which she would have remembered to do if she hadn’t been so angry at everything else that was happening. The test that she had that day, which she barely got a chance to study for; the homework that she had to rush to finish right after that, before her next class started; the paper she had to work on, which was due in two days, and the lunch that she barely had time to eat.
It was all coming back now.
She groaned as she walked towards the door, and grabbed her coat from the coat hanger. This seemed to be the only thing that kept Lin’s attention on her for more than five seconds, since he was now giving her a look that seemed to ask ‘Where are you going?’
“Forgot to get tea,” she said, forcing a smile. If he could mind read, she had a right to, too.
He nodded, acknowledging this, and with his ‘permission’, so to speak, she felt free to walk out. She wasn’t looking forward to going back out into the freezing cold, especially since she had been so comfortable before. But she figured this way she would at least be killing a little more time until Naru returned.
Right as she was walking out however, feeling that cold breeze rush over her, she had bumped right into him. Her eyes had been closed, as she braced for the cold, and admittedly, she definitely wasn’t paying attention, but she could tell it was him. It was like a law or something that if she was going to embarrass herself, Naru would have to be there; and besides, there was something about the way she felt when she was close to him that just sort of gave it away. It was him.
She could hear a splash of liquid, as she was propelled back, and she opened her eyes in horror, fearing the worst. Had something spilled on him? Something hot? Was he okay? She whimpered, feeling almost afraid to look. When she did, though, he was smiling.
“I thought you might do that,” he said, nonchalantly. He was holding up a cup, likely the one she had heard the liquid splashing in[just moments before. “It’s a good thing I got a lid for this, isn’t it?”
“I’m so sorry, Naru!” she exclaimed. Her face was turning red. “I- I’m glad that didn’t spill, though.”
“Me, too,” he replied.
He stepped inside after that and shut the door behind him. She watched, sort of staring without realizing it, as he took off his coat and tossed it into the coat rack. He turned around and started to stare back, quickly making her feel awkward. She shook her head and averted her gaze, grasping for something, anything to say to break the silence.
“Oh, right,” she began, as she finally remembered what she had been doing. “Um, we’re out of tea, so I was going to get some.” She sighed again, thinking about how cold it would be outside. She started to mumble as she reached for the door again, glancing back at him. “That smelled really good…”
“Well, then,” he replied-and she quickly put a hand over her mouth in surprise; she wasn’t really sure if he’d heard or not, but she sincerely hoped for the latter. “It’s a good thing this isn’t for me.”
“Huh?”
She turned around with the most confused look on her face, and saw him, holding out that cup to her. The one that she almost spilled all over him by bumping into him. It took her a moment to process the fact that he was offering it to her, so much so that he actually put it on the coffee table, with a shrug.
“It’s hot chocolate. If you don’t want it, you can throw it away.”
That was certainly enough to snap her out of whatever trance she was in, and she quickly dashed over to pick it up. She shook her head violently, as she felt the warmth of the cup on her fingers.
“No, no!” she protested. “I mean… thank you, so much. I… I didn’t realize you had gotten it for me. You didn’t have to…”
Her gaze seemed to tilt downwards again, as she tried to conceal her face, which was turning red yet again, after she had just calmed down. She was smiling uncontrollably, unsure now whether she even wanted to drink it. She wanted to keep it, to always remind her that no matter how he acted towards her at times, he still had moments that he cared.
But she shook her head. She was cold, anyway, not to mention at the end of a lousy day-plus, knowing that it was from Naru only made it taste better. So she took one sip after another after another, and could hardly stop herself until she left the cup totally empty. She was all smiles by the end of it, not to mention completely warm and comfortable, as she placed the cup back on the table with a satisfied sigh.
He was right about her, he realized, as she sat herself back down on the couch. She was letting all the bad things flow out of her system now, all that negativity from that day. And she realized that he was completely right. He knew her so well.
It was always the little things that made her feel better.
A/N: Just a pointless little fluffy piece for one of my favorite anime. :) I love Naru and Mai. I hope you enjoyed it.
Fandom: Ghost Hunt
Prompt: bad day
Medium: fic
Rating: PG/K
Word Count: 1,567
Notes: I do not own Ghost Hunt, unfortunately.
Bingo Card: Here ♥
On a bad day, it was always the little things that made Mai feel better.
Anyone in Shibuya Psychic Research could tell whenever Mai had a bad day at school. She would always have the same slumped posture, as she walked into the office; the same downcast look on her face that told everyone she just wanted to curl up in bed and forget about life for a while. And that day was no different.
She never really talked about it much. She hated being a burden on others, so she always kept the details to herself, only giving the bare minimum whenever asked. Any bad mood that resulted from events of the horrid day, she tried to suppress. She didn’t that kind of negativity spilling into her work, and if anything, work was supposed to take her mind off it all. She would immerse herself in it. Just being surrounded by Naru, and Lin, and Monk and the others-all the people she considered her family-was enough. And after working with them on a case for a while, she would forget the day had ever happened.
It was a little difficult for her that particular day, though. There was no case, no work for her to drown herself in. So she was forced to sit there, rather awkwardly, with Lin in the office. No one else was there. Monk was performing a concert and wouldn’t stop by until afterwards. Masako was attending an interview with some TV studio or another. Ayako had her own priestess duties to attend to, she supposed; she never liked to elaborate. John was with his Church. Yasu was at college, and couldn’t really come back unless he planned it in advance, and Naru was doing who knew what.
“He should be back soon,” Lin said suddenly. Which was a bizarre thing to hear, considering how infrequently he spoke. He must have started to feel real sorry for her, she realized, if he was the one trying to strike up conversation. “He’s actually meeting with a potential client right now… so we should know soon if we have a case.”
Mai gaped at him, dumbfounded at the fact that he spoke before she did, but also at the fact that he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking about. Though, thinking about it, she supposed it wasn’t too hard to figure out-especially considering how observant Lin was, and how long he had known her. Still, though, she couldn’t help but feel surprised.
“Right,” she replied. She at least tried to sound more enthusiastic, and less tired, which was how she felt at the moment. He seemed to go back to typing right away, and at that point, she wasn’t sure he was even listening. It didn’t stop her from talking, of course. Few things could, if she wanted to. “Thanks, Lin.”
A sigh escaped her lips, as she sat herself down on one of the couches in the office. She needed to find a way to pass the time, it seemed. She considered a nap, of course, since she was pretty much ready to fall asleep right then anyway, but she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable, doing that with Lin in the room. Worse yet, Naru might walk in on her too, and she couldn’t see any good coming out of that.
But it was all right. She wasn’t so tired she couldn’t stay awake, though she did find herself wishing she had gone with Monk to his concert. That would have been a good way to kill time-and a fun one, too. She supposed it was too late now. And there she was, stuck waiting. Without a good book to read, even.
She considered making herself some hot tea at that point; it was a cold day outside, and hot tea was usually sure to make her feel better. It was that moment, though, that she realized they were completely out of tea. She was supposed to pick some up on the way there-which she would have remembered to do if she hadn’t been so angry at everything else that was happening. The test that she had that day, which she barely got a chance to study for; the homework that she had to rush to finish right after that, before her next class started; the paper she had to work on, which was due in two days, and the lunch that she barely had time to eat.
It was all coming back now.
She groaned as she walked towards the door, and grabbed her coat from the coat hanger. This seemed to be the only thing that kept Lin’s attention on her for more than five seconds, since he was now giving her a look that seemed to ask ‘Where are you going?’
“Forgot to get tea,” she said, forcing a smile. If he could mind read, she had a right to, too.
He nodded, acknowledging this, and with his ‘permission’, so to speak, she felt free to walk out. She wasn’t looking forward to going back out into the freezing cold, especially since she had been so comfortable before. But she figured this way she would at least be killing a little more time until Naru returned.
Right as she was walking out however, feeling that cold breeze rush over her, she had bumped right into him. Her eyes had been closed, as she braced for the cold, and admittedly, she definitely wasn’t paying attention, but she could tell it was him. It was like a law or something that if she was going to embarrass herself, Naru would have to be there; and besides, there was something about the way she felt when she was close to him that just sort of gave it away. It was him.
She could hear a splash of liquid, as she was propelled back, and she opened her eyes in horror, fearing the worst. Had something spilled on him? Something hot? Was he okay? She whimpered, feeling almost afraid to look. When she did, though, he was smiling.
“I thought you might do that,” he said, nonchalantly. He was holding up a cup, likely the one she had heard the liquid splashing in[just moments before. “It’s a good thing I got a lid for this, isn’t it?”
“I’m so sorry, Naru!” she exclaimed. Her face was turning red. “I- I’m glad that didn’t spill, though.”
“Me, too,” he replied.
He stepped inside after that and shut the door behind him. She watched, sort of staring without realizing it, as he took off his coat and tossed it into the coat rack. He turned around and started to stare back, quickly making her feel awkward. She shook her head and averted her gaze, grasping for something, anything to say to break the silence.
“Oh, right,” she began, as she finally remembered what she had been doing. “Um, we’re out of tea, so I was going to get some.” She sighed again, thinking about how cold it would be outside. She started to mumble as she reached for the door again, glancing back at him. “That smelled really good…”
“Well, then,” he replied-and she quickly put a hand over her mouth in surprise; she wasn’t really sure if he’d heard or not, but she sincerely hoped for the latter. “It’s a good thing this isn’t for me.”
“Huh?”
She turned around with the most confused look on her face, and saw him, holding out that cup to her. The one that she almost spilled all over him by bumping into him. It took her a moment to process the fact that he was offering it to her, so much so that he actually put it on the coffee table, with a shrug.
“It’s hot chocolate. If you don’t want it, you can throw it away.”
That was certainly enough to snap her out of whatever trance she was in, and she quickly dashed over to pick it up. She shook her head violently, as she felt the warmth of the cup on her fingers.
“No, no!” she protested. “I mean… thank you, so much. I… I didn’t realize you had gotten it for me. You didn’t have to…”
Her gaze seemed to tilt downwards again, as she tried to conceal her face, which was turning red yet again, after she had just calmed down. She was smiling uncontrollably, unsure now whether she even wanted to drink it. She wanted to keep it, to always remind her that no matter how he acted towards her at times, he still had moments that he cared.
But she shook her head. She was cold, anyway, not to mention at the end of a lousy day-plus, knowing that it was from Naru only made it taste better. So she took one sip after another after another, and could hardly stop herself until she left the cup totally empty. She was all smiles by the end of it, not to mention completely warm and comfortable, as she placed the cup back on the table with a satisfied sigh.
He was right about her, he realized, as she sat herself back down on the couch. She was letting all the bad things flow out of her system now, all that negativity from that day. And she realized that he was completely right. He knew her so well.
It was always the little things that made her feel better.
A/N: Just a pointless little fluffy piece for one of my favorite anime. :) I love Naru and Mai. I hope you enjoyed it.