Of Seas and Stars

Hot

Takes place in the manga!verse, after Re-turn!

Rating: T

Warnings: Suggestive kiss, bullying, and brief self-hatred.

-///-

"Am I the only one thinking about how Retasu looks?"

"Oh, no. She looks so pathetic, doesn't she?"

"I'll say. She looks like a little girl playing dress-up."

"Well, I'd say the maid outfit fits her. She was born to be nothing but a servant."

"Enough about her. Did you see that tall guy with pointy ears?"

"Ooh, yeah! Talk about hot, am I right?"

The comments faded as the three girls left the bathroom. Retasu finally slowly let herself leave the stall. Seeing herself in the mirror, her shoulders drooped and her tears finally fell.

She really did look pathetic.

Her hair still looked so choppy and uneven, and her bangs looked odd parted in the middle. Her round glasses didn't frame her face as well as she'd hoped when she had bought them. Her chin dimple was awkward and didn't seem to compliment her facial structure in any way. Her nose was slightly larger than her friends' noses and protruded from her face in a way she didn't like. Not to mention the acne scars she wished would just go away.

And then there was the maid uniform she had to wear.

Keiichirou did a wonderful job with the frilly outfit, but now that Aya and her friends had said those things about her, she desperately wanted to get rid of it.

Retasu wiped away a tear. Even after nearly three years out of their ruthless control, those girls could still say things that brought her confidence to its lowest point.

Retasu tried to clean up as best she could before leaving the women's restroom.

Now if she could convince Keiichirou to let her go home early for the day.

Soon after leaving the bathroom, she tried to hurry to the kitchen to ask her ponytailed authority about leaving.

"How long have you been working here, Pie-san?" a flirtatious voice cooed. Retasu stopped and turned to see Aya openly flirting with Retasu's favorite person. Retasu felt herself grow tense, and her hands quickly closed into tight fists.

"Two months," he grunted, entirely uninterested in the girl. "Are you paying with cash or credit?"

Aya frowned a bit. "Credit." Retasu watched as the girl's high-heeled foot reached to rub against Pie's calf. Retasu briefly felt the urge to intervene before he smoothly stepped out of her reach. Taking Aya's card and some discarded dishes, Pie awkwardly bowed and walked toward the kitchen.

Passing by Retasu, he nodded as a greeting. She nodded back, hoping the tears on her cheeks had dried.

After leaving the dirty dishes in the kitchen, he stopped at Retasu's side.

"Are you alright?"

So he had noticed.

She looked away. Knowing she couldn't bring herself to lie to him, she shook her head.

"Do you need a moment to talk?"

Retasu bit her lip, only to feel tears start falling again. She frantically lifted her hands to wipe them away, mumbling many different apologies.

Pie placed the credit card in his apron pocket. Gently bringing Retasu's hands away from her face, he asked, "What's upsetting you?"

"I just don't feel comfortable with Aya-san and her friends here, I guess ..." she muttered, looking down at his hands holding hers.

Pie nodded. He frowned as he briefly glanced in the bully's direction. "I can imagine why."

"They called me pathetic and a servant and ... and other things." She sniffed. "I'm just tired of it."

"I understand." He caressed her knuckles with his thumb. He said nothing else. Retasu looked up at him and realized he knew there was more. He knew her too well.

Retasu blushed. "They seemed to be making you feel uncomfortable too."

Pie shrugged briefly. "I didn't think much about my interactions with them."

"They called you hot," Retasu blurted, her face growing more red. It was unnecessary to state, but it was bothering her more than she cared to admit.

Pie paused. Studying her face, he seemed to understand why she was so peeved at what her bullies thought of him.

"They find me attractive?"

She nodded, no longer looking at him.

Pie briefly glanced at Aya's table, noting that they were watching with unamused expressions.

He smirked.

In one swift motion, he pulled Retasu into his arms and kissed her.

Retasu froze, but it took her less than a moment to give in and kiss him back. Her heart pounded and her face felt like fire, but she wouldn't let herself escape this paradise.

They'd only kissed once before, but this was nothing like the innocent, gentle kiss back then. This kiss was more aggressive and powerful and, frankly, had more saliva involved.

When their lips parted, Retasu found herself pressed against a wall, making direct eye contact with her alien companion. Well, as difficult as it was with the fogged up glasses on both of them.

Pie gave her a small smile when he noticed just how red she had become. He had some pink on his cheeks himself.

Maybe they had gotten a bit too carried away.

"You're not pathetic," Pie said quietly, slowly rubbing her lower lip with his thumb. "I particularly think you're quite admirable."

She held back an embarrassed squeak. She instead cleared her throat and started to escape from Pie's hold.

"I, uh, th—think I should go and ... and, uh, clean ... something."

Pie briefly grabbed her arm to stop her. "You should rest."

"But—"

"You have a lot on your mind and should relax for a few hours."

Retasu paused. "And Aya-san?"

He looked back at her table. The girl was scowling. "I doubt she'll be back any time soon."

Retasu pursed her lips, trying not to smile.

He turned back to her. "Go home and rest. I'll fill in for you."

Deciding not to argue further, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you, Pie-san."

He squeezed back before turning to take care of Aya's payment.

When he returned her card, Aya snatched it furiously and huffed away with her friends in tow, muttering something about how unprofessional he was.

Pie allowed himself a smirk as he watched her leave.

"Aw ... No tip?"

Pie turned to see Minto taking a sip from her teacup.

"I thought it was a pretty good show."

Pie rolled his eyes and turned, leaving a rather amused Minto in his wake.