"Crimson, how are your commissions going?" Aki inquired.
"Hey, you can't change the subject," I retorted, remembering that I had asked about his hair.
He grinned, walking over to me.
"You can't distract—" I began, but froze when his lips gently pressed against my forehead. I blinked, turning completely red and blanking out.
"Oh look. It's time for you guys to get ready," he pointed out.
"What a player," Itsuki whispered to Yoshi.
"I knew he was trouble when Storm recruited him," Yoshi replied.
"Oh please. You said the same thing about Malachi and me," Quil huffed and got to his feet.
"My predictions are always true," Yoshi defended.
"Uh huh," they all replied in unison.
I grinned and tried not to focus on the butterflies fluttering in my stomach from Aki's simple kiss. It was hard to admit, but I'd never experienced that feeling with James. I wonder if he's coming back to get more clothes?
"So Crim, your commissions?" Haru asked, looking curious.
"Oh! My orders tripled ever since the name change. Aki helped update my website with a gallery and everything. I've been getting tons of emails."
"Which I responded to already," Itsuki announced.
I gawked at him. "What? You went through all of them!" I exclaimed. I'd fallen asleep after the fiftieth inquiry and hadn't had a chance to catch up since.
Itsuki grinned and looked at Haru and Quil who looked proud like they had won an award of some kind.
"You’re booked for the next five months," Itsuki revealed.
"And we inquired with a contact Storm used to know in Homatomashi who's been following your work since you began and would love to schedule a massive gallery event when you're up for it." Quil sounded as excited as I felt.
"And Aki ordered something for you," Haru added softly.
Aki cursed, glaring at him. "You weren't supposed to tell her," Aki grumbled.
"Oh please, it's her house. She would have checked the mail," Malachi pointed out.
"It already came in, you baka!" Quil growled, throwing a pillow at Malachi who just stepped to the side and rolled his eyes.
"Why am I to blame when Haru is the one who spoiled it?" Malachi pointed to Haru who just looked innocently at us.
"Cause it’s easier to blame you," Itsuki said with a shrug.
"You guys are all bullies that's what. Let's go," Malachi grumbled.
"Not with you in a towel, Hottie McHot Pants," I tutted.
"You can't use that nickname when he has no pants on," Yoshi joked.
"That's because you guys are ruining my concentration," Malachi complained and turned back to get some clothes from the spare room.
We all laughed. The others who had been still sitting rose to their feet.
"Aki's staying with you today, Crim. He wants to sleep all day," Quil informed me.
"He secretly wants to watch you paint, but you didn't hear it from me," Itsuki whispered in my ear.
"Just go already!" Aki shouted.
"Ah. Anger issues," Haru sighed dramatically in his thick Japanese accent which made him sound super cute.
"We’ll be back in the evening, Crim. Don't let her fall asleep on the couch, Aki or we'll kick your ass," Quil warned.
Aki rolled his eyes. "Hai, hai!" he replied quickly, shooing them away.
Haru, Itsuki, Quil, and Yoshi all said goodbye to me, giving me hugs before they left, leaving the door wide open for Malachi.
"Wait for me!" Malachi ran out, sliding to a stop next to me. He gave me a quick hug.
"See ya, Hottie. Be good and we’ll bring back food, even if it's midnight," he whispered.
"Can you bring ice cream too? The green tea kind?" I asked shyly.
"No problem," Malachi assured me.
"HOTTIE MCHOT PANTS! The elevator's here!" I heard Quil call out.
"I swear...bye, Aki and Hottie!" Malachi dashed out the door and ran off.
Aki sighed, shaking his head and went to close the door while I stood there giggling.
"So, you got me something?" I hummed, walking over to my painting area to decide what commission to start next.
I glanced at the next client on the list:
A.T. Green
Request: Image representing your new pen name. Can be what inspired the name change. I like it. XOXOXO
I stroked my chin in wonder as to how I was gonna paint this one out. How the pen name came to be. Crimson Storm is a combination of me and Storm Yuna. Hmm... Maybe I could make it an image of both of us. Well, I'd change my image slightly. Maybe make her have paler skin. Hmmm. I could have Urufu on Storm's side and maybe a Kitsune on my side? Like the Kitsune in my dream.
Arms slid around my waist and snapped me out of my train of thought.
"Aki?" I asked, my tone a little higher than normal.
"You didn't hear what I said, did you?" he asked softly.
I blushed in embarrassment, turning in his embrace to look up at him. "No," I whispered, realizing how close we were.
His eyes lingered on my lips for a few seconds before he pulled away, turning to pick up a wrapped gift from the couch. I would admit that I was slightly disappointed I hadn’t gotten to kiss him; my heart had skipped a beat.
Aki turned back to face me and presented the gift.
"Thought it would be good for your work," he announced.
I eyed him curiously, but accepted the gift. It was the first time in years I'd received a gift from anyone. James wasn't the type to buy me anything and the last gift I remembered getting was from Mr. Jiyuna when I was really young.
I carefully unwrapped the rectangular item and my eyes went wide when I realized what it was.
"A drawing tablet? Wait, are these the ones those designers who create video games and manga use?" I asked excitedly.
Aki grinned. "Yup. I have a contact here who orders a lot from his store and he reserved one for me. I was gonna wait for your birthday, but I was ratted out," he mumbled the last part.
"Aki...Arigato," I whispered, trying not to cry.
He gave me a soft smile and pulled me into a hug. "You’re welcome, Crimson. I'll teach you how to use it whenever I have time," he promised me.
We pulled apart and I nodded in agreement.
He smiled before a yawn escaped him. "And I need a nap," he admitted, rubbing his eyes.
I smirked. "Go sleep. I'll start working on this project," I encouraged.
"Hmm... Okay. If you need more than Uru, just come wake me up."
I nodded, taking a step forward and getting up on my tiptoes to give him a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Sleep well," I whispered, meeting his stunned gaze. I noticed the slight blush on his cheeks before he looked away with an embarrassed look.
"Okay. Work hard," he mumbled and shuffled away.
I forced myself not to laugh at his shy behavior which wasn't normal for Aki. I smiled down at the tablet before placing it carefully on the coffee table. I turned back to the blank canvas and took a deep breath.
"Let's get this started," I announced.
I turned on some soft music and got my paints and palette ready. I took a final look at the blank canvas, envisioning how the entire thing would look. I smiled.
Crimson Storm. A human with perseverance and a shifter with immense power. What do they have in common?
They love with all their heart.
"Mom, I'm not coming down for my birthday," I grumbled as I stared at the blank canvas before me.
I'd been trying to create the perfect image for A.T. for an hour, but had been interrupted by a phone call from my mom.
Every year it was a 'you must come home and celebrate with your family' thing which made no sense to me because A. we didn't celebrate. It was the same dinner and hidden insults as any other get together, and B. it usually ended with me leaving early in tears to go drink a large amount of alcohol. Then, I would end up having drunk sex with James, which, with his attitude lately, I didn't want to put myself in that situation.
"Your father has been stressed lately. He didn't mean what he said," Mother defended.
"Mom, how long are we gonna play this game? He treats me like shit and everyone turns a blind eye and acts like it’s okay. Well it's NOT okay!' I snapped.