A/N: Hi everyone! It's been a while since the last Dr. Watanabe x Nurse Kashiwagi update. Aside from going off track to write that UZA oneshot (it took a while for my mind to get back in Dr. Watanabe mode
), I've been in very poor health and my brain just wasn't functioning properly. Furthermore, crazy shit at work and impending Japanese exams didn't help the situation. Well, I'm still nowhere near recovery but inspiration struck these couple of days and I managed to complete this new update which is a little longer than usual. Hope you enjoy it and thank you very much for waiting!
anzai-san: Thank you for your comment! It really warms my heart when I'm told that my stories have such a lasting impact. I've been spazzing over the UZA PV countless of times too!
Note: This is a genderbend story.---
Beach, Balls and Confusion“What were you thinking?” Yuki hissed at Mayu in the smallest voice possible so that Jun would not hear her. “Why did you invite him to play with us?”
Her boyfriend sent Jun a sideways glance and found the playful young man preoccupied with spinning the volleyball on his index finger. Leaning close to the frowning nurse, he whispered, “Do you think Ren-san is handsome?”
Alarm bells rang in Yuki’s head the moment the words left his mouth.
“Did he infect you already?!” she screamed for the third time that day, causing Mayu to falter in his steps and Jun to drop the ball.
Poking his pinkie into his ear, Jun grimaced, “Gee, your girlfriend is such a screamer. Do the neighbours complain?”
Mayu who had just regained his footing almost lost his balance again. Clearing his throat as though tripping on sand was the most common occurrence in the world, he set the record straight, “We are not at that stage yet.”
“You aren’t?” Jun regarded the couple with doubtful eyes. Mayu’s statement did not make sense to him. There standing before him were the embodiments of sex and good looks in their purest forms. “You mean the two of you can resist each other when others would jump you at the first given chance?”
“Why not?” Yuki retorted, not liking the hankering look in Jun’s eyes. “Our relationship is built on love, not lust.”
“Alright, whatever you say,” Jun raised his hands in an act of surrender. He had a gnawing bad feeling that Yuki would rip him to shreds like a possessive lioness if he were to probe further. “Anyway, what infection were you talking about?” he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible while tossing the ball from hand to hand.
“It’s nothing,” Mayu replied swiftly and made a sniffing sound. “She was referring to the flu bug that one of our colleagues has.”
“Ah, I see,” although not quite believing his words, Jun decided to just go with the flow out of fear for his life. He could fight against a thug or two and win without breaking a sweat but not a raging mad girlfriend.
Yuki took the chance to pull Mayu aside. “What did you mean by if Ren-kun was handsome? Don’t tell me you are starting to look at men that way too?”
The doctor stared at her with his most intense gaze, nodded, and watched as her eyes grew as wide as saucers.
“N-No way…” her hand on his arm loosened and fell but he grabbed it and held it close to his chest. Looking up, he bore an enamouring smile on his face.
“Of course not. Have a little more faith in me.”
No matter how charmingly handsome he looked at that point, she still thwacked him on the shoulder -
hard.
“It’s precisely because I have too much faith in you that I believed you in the first place!” she huffed, not bothering to soothe the obvious pain her boyfriend was in from her mammoth strike.
Off to the side, Jun could not help but be drawn in by the lovers’ banter. There was a radiant five-finger mark burnt on Mayu’s pale shoulder. “Are you two, perhaps, like in an S&M relationship or something?” he queried despite his better judgement.
“No!” Yuki snapped and stormed ahead of the two dumbfounded men.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Jun turned to Mayu and kindly offered, “PMS?”
The doctor’s slight frame drooped as he sighed, mentally beating himself over and over for taking his joke too far. He, of all people, should have known that his girlfriend had endured more than enough surprises for a day and was exceptionally highstrung as a result.
With a forced smile, he uttered, “No. My fault.”
His response prompted Jun to let out a low whistle in surprise and true appreciation.
This guy… It takes a real man to admit his mistakes. Patting the shorter man’s back, he told him, “Bro, I salute you.”
---
At the sand court, Yuko had her hands positioned inches before her face, fingers twiddling while her lips were pressed tightly in concentration.
“What are you doing?” Mario’s voice barged through her thoughts like a bulldozer smashing into a concrete wall and she would have wrung that skinny neck and squeezed all air out of his lungs if not for her self-restraint.
“You idiot! You just made me lose count!”
His proud visage cracked into a gloating grin. “Lost count of what?”
“The score, damn it!” Yuko tugged at her hair in frustration. “Now I’ve got to start all over again.”
“It’s ten to nine in my favour,” he declared offhandedly. A distrustful frown buried deep in Yuko’s brow.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I was keeping count unlike a certain single-track fool,” Mario folded his arms, shooting the tiny woman a belittling look. “Our team is leading by eight points. The other team is as good as gone at the rate we are going.”
“Shut it with the insults,” Yuko griped, crossing her arms as well. “I hate to admit this but you are not bad for a stick. We have to keep striving to make sure Miyazawa’s team doesn’t catch up. Nyannyan did say that our team winning this match is a prerequisite before the top scorer can get that ice cream treat.”
“There’s no way the losers can turn this game around. Look,” he gestured towards the other side of the net with a slight tilt of his chin, “even Sae is drained from trying to make up for his hopeless teammates.”
The vivacious Dr. Miyazawa who was always brimming with seemingly boundless energy was currently sprawled out on the sand like a beached starfish while Mocchi willingly massaged his aching muscles with a face that looked too gleeful for comfort. Ren, faring not much better, was taking a swig from his bottle of isotonic drink as beads of perspiration rolled down his finely sculpted temples and cheekbones.
“You know, it’s kind of nice that the two of you are working together for once,” Rie chipped in thoughtfully from behind Yuko and Mario.
There was a pregnant pause as the two senior doctors turned to each other, stared…
And made the grandest gagging sounds ever.
“Me working with this annoying stick? That’s crazy!” Yuko flailed her arms in horror.
Mario took one giant step away from her and admonished the unsuspecting Rie, “I forbid you to suggest something as ridiculous ever again, do you hear?”
Rie shrank back from the highly volatile aura that was emitted by the scandalised pair and hastily slinked away to the protective arms of Haruna who was drawing little kittens in the sand.
“Hey, you two don’t bully Rie-chan!” Haruna chided as she wrapped a comforting arm around the younger woman.
“What?” Yuko pointed disbelievingly at herself. “Now it’s my fault?”
Mario nodded. “Yes, yours. You called her crazy.”
“I didn’t! Stop putting words in my mouth!” Yuko growled. “You were the one who threatened Rie-chan!”
“That was called giving advice.”
“Why you-”
“Oh my God!” a sudden loud cry interrupted the rivals’ heated squabble and all eyes turned to the source.
“Who the heck?” the question slipped past Yuko’s lips as she took in the appearance of an ecstatic man beside Mayu.
“He looks like a walking lime popsicle,” Mario crinkled his nose in disdain, referring to the gaudy green Hawaiian shirt that Jun was wearing.
“O.M.G,” Jun repeated, “what in heaven’s name– Wait! I think I’m in heaven!” His jaw dropped as his eyes feasted on the mouth-watering sight before him. “If I’m not in heaven, then I must be in paradise on earth!” He bounded over to Mario like an excited lost puppy reunited with its owner and latched onto his arm as though they had been master and pet for years. “This dude, you’re so cool! I want you as my brother!”
“Hah?” Mario shook off the delirious newcomer. “Take your paws off me.”
His warning was sorely ignored because Jun had already zipped off towards Sae who had just sprung up from the commotion. The neurosurgeon took a startled step back as Jun’s hungry eyes gobbled up his well-defined muscular body from his firm pectorals to his rock-hard abs.
“You are a living Greek God! Please teach me how to be as charming as you!”
Feeling many pairs of questioning eyes boring holes in his body, Mayu decided that he had better put a stop to Jun’s overflowing torrent of excitement. Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, Mayu said, “Matsui-san, I think you should stop for a while.”
“Mayu-san, you and your friends should be starring in an idol drama or something!” Jun gushed.
Yuki’s mouth twitched in irritation.
Mayu-san? On first name basis already?“Matsui?” Yuko’s sharp ears picked up on the familiar surname. She studied the almost hyperventilating Jun from head to toe. “Are you and Ren related?”
“Ren?” Jun’s eyebrows rose. “You mean there’s one more hunk I’ve missed?”
“Yes, behind you,” Mayu answered flatly.
Yuki’s mouth twitched again.
Mayu agrees that Ren is a hunk! Didn’t he say he was joking just now? Ren who had just set his drink bottle down, spun around at the mention of his name. Looking up, he noticed a frozen man gaping with his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish at him. He peeked past the stranger and sent a puzzled look in Mayu’s direction, hoping that the younger doctor would shed some light on the situation. However, the bespectacled man only returned a useless shrug.
“Excuse me, are you alright?” Ren waved his hand before Jun’s unblinking eyes.
“Mayu-san,” Jun called, his sight not leaving Ren, “you just lost your spot as the perfect eye candy. This guy here is the real perfection.”
To say he was disturbed would be an understatement. In fact, Ren felt his insides being churned upside down and inside out by the very man before him. Jun’s infatuated stare was making his skin crawl in a way that he had never experienced before.
“Would you happen to be single?”
Ren’s throat constricted as though an invisible force was strangling him till he began to suspect he needed an oxygen mask to breathe. If it was even possible, his already pale face had turned whiter than a sheet of paper.
What is wrong with this man? My relationship status is none of his business. Why is he looking at me like that? Wait, no, stop! Why are you coming towards me?A warm hand attached itself to Ren’s slick forehead which had broken out in an extreme case of cold sweat.
“Are you alright?” Jun returned Ren’s question to him as he felt the abnormally cool skin. “You look like you are about to faint.”
Why is his face so close to me? Step back. It’s too close. Get away from me! In his mind, Ren was shouting out all forms of protests but for some reason, he could not move in reality.
His skin looks so smooth… and his eyes… they are so dark and- Wait! Why am I looking at his face?!With a sudden grunt and an enormous strength he had never exhibited before, Ren shoved the frightening newcomer away, shocking everyone.
“G-Get away!” he gasped, heaving hard. “What is wrong with you?” He then staggered backwards as he shook his head to clear his darkening vision.
“Chill, dude!” Jun reached forward, afraid that Ren would lose his balance but the taller man jerked and slapped his hand away. Ren’s face was looking a little green at this point and his left hand gripped his stomach as he adopted a hunching position. Mayu and Yuko recognised the telltale signs of a panic attack and they traded knowing looks. However, before they could make a move, Yuki jostled Jun aside, lifted her hand high in the air and brought it down on Ren’s cheek with the strength of her entire arm. The rest of the group winced at the sharp, resounding smack.
“Snap out of it!” Yuki gripped Ren’s shoulders and shook him while Yuko nudged Mayu and whispered, “I’m asking you again. You sure you want to marry this scary woman?”
“Don’t make fun of Yuki,” Mayu warned, narrowing his eyes.
Yuko clicked her tongue, “Tch, you are no fun. But don’t you think we should stop her before Ren’s brain gets rattled to mush?”
“There’s no need. He’s fine already,” Mayu pointed out nonchalantly. His mentor snapped her head to the childhood friends and found Ren back to his normal self. Their fellow emergency doctor was seen scratching his head with a sheepish face as he spoke to Yuki.
“Thanks for that, Yuki-chan.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s a lucky thing that slapping still works after so many years,” Yuki said, rubbing her palms together to ease the sting from hitting him too hardly. “I thought your panic attacks had stopped after high school.”
“I thought so too but…” he glanced at Jun who was staring back with worry and felt another chill shoot down his spine.
“Ren-kun is a little homophobic towards gay men so you better keep your distance from him,” Yuki told Jun who appeared crestfallen at the news.
“Why?” the man was close to tears. The perfect man was right before his eyes and he was forbidden to make a move on him!
He looks like a disappointed puppy. I feel kind of bad. Ren shook his head to clear any funny and unwanted thoughts.
This man is confusing the life out of me! I should be glad that Yuki-chan is trying to make him give up hope on me.“Sorry, just bad experiences,” Ren stated simply.
“Hey Watanabe, care to explain what’s going on?” Mario raised his voice above the chatter. The said doctor had his mind somewhere else as his gaze was focused on his girlfriend, Ren and Jun. A whack to the back of his head brought him back to earth.
“Stop undressing Yuki-chan with your eyes!” Yuko quipped unabashedly with full intention of embarrassing him. She smirked in satisfaction when he coughed and sputtered.
“I-I’m not! And don’t give other men ideas!” Mayu rebuked and moved to stand before Yuki, shielding her body from the prying eyes of others. Despite having lost her temper at him earlier, Yuki could not help but feel familiar warmth seeping into her chest as she admired his slender but dependable back. Mayu cleared his throat and gestured towards Jun, “Anyway, this is Matsui Jun who Yuki and I met a while ago. He’ll be playing in my place for the rest of the game.”
“What?” Yuko objected. “That’s unfair! We didn’t say we can have substitutes!”
“Nor did we say we can’t,” Mayu reminded coolly. “Besides, I’m not feeling too well to continue.”
Yuko looked ready to argue but Mario stepped in and spoke first.
“Are you afraid of a little challenge, Oshima?”
Not one to back down from a taunt, especially one from her nemesis, Yuko brushed her nose with her thumb like the late action star Bruce Lee, “Me, the great Oshima Yuko afraid? You must have a screw loose to even think that. Bring it on!”
In the midst of the rivals’ usual “discussions”, Mayu felt a small tug on his left hand. Turning around, he was surprised to see his girlfriend with her head hanging low.
“What’s wrong, Yuki?” concern laced his gentle voice as he returned a squeeze on her hand. She was nibbling her bottom lip and her eyes were downcast.
“Are you not feeling well because of me?”
Mayu felt a pinch in his guts when he saw the remorseful look on her face. “Of course not,” he answered. Whispering into her ear, he added, “I’m actually fine. It’s just part of my plan. I will explain to you later.”
“What plan?” she frowned.
“It’s not convenient to speak now. I promise I will tell you everything later, alright?”
She gave a meek nod even as she sighed inwardly. It had been a nerve-racking day for her ever since the appearance of Jun and endless doubts had been attacking her self-esteem as a woman and the girlfriend of a man who was highly sought after by members of both sexes.
“Mayu…” she started in a soft voice, dragging out the last syllable of his name like a timid child who wanted to ask for something but was too shy to go on.
“Yes?” he encouraged patiently. Deep down, he was already over the moon that she was not giving him the cold shoulder anymore, hence he was more than willing to wait till she was ready to speak her mind.
“I…”
He smiled at the very adorable way her eyes were darting around as a pretty pink hue spread across her round cheeks.
“I…”
“Hmm?”
“I… I want you to kiss me.”
And he complied without a second thought. Lifting her chin with the gentlest of touches, he leant forward and captured the saccharine lips which he so adored. It started out not unlike his usual kisses in public – short and chaste like an angel – but something different happened just before he drew back. His teeth gave a teasing nip on her lower lip that was so swift she might have imagined it but the lingering prick told her otherwise. Her fingers traced her reddening lip as her wide eyes searched his. He was never this bold outside of the house.
“Because I love you.”
It was an answer to her unasked question and the discreetly possessive action was enough to quell the insecurity that had been plaguing her.
“And I’m sorry for the joke earlier. It was in bad taste. Forgive me, please?”
The blushing woman was having butterflies in her stomach under his earnest gaze. Nodding her head, she replied with a pout, “But don’t you scare me like that again.”
Holding up three fingers, he vowed, “Scout’s promise.”
“Since when were you a scout?”
“Since two seconds ago.”
“Hmph, cheeky boy!” she slapped his chest, a reflex action that she had developed in response to his teasing. Hearing the hiss of pain, she apologised hastily and rubbed the scarred spot. “I’m sorry! I forgot again!”
“It’s okay,” he assured despite the discomfort. “It shows that you care.”
“If the others hear that, they are really going to think that we are in that kind of relationship,” she mumbled.
“You mean the S&M kind?”
Eyes almost popping out of their sockets, she hushed, “Shh! Not so loud!”
As her beloved laughed at her reaction, her chest warmed upon noticing how carefree he seemed. Guilt had been eating away at her for getting mad at him when he was simply enjoying himself after being cooped up at home for so long.
“We’re starting!” Yuko blared from the other side of the net. Sometime during their little make up session, the rest had got into positions and were ready to continue the game.
“Guess it’s time for me to go. I’ll be watching from the side,” Mayu said and was about to leave the court when Yuki held him back. Tipping forward, she planted a quick peck on his cheek and whispered, “I love you too.”
His loving gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned and jogged to the side.
On the court, Sae’s team had changed their main players to the captain and the newcomer since Jun boasted that he was often crowned the Most Valuable Player in the official matches he had taken part in. Their team had only scored eleven points before the timeout and Jun promised Sae he would turn the tables around. At the blow of the whistle courtesy of Mayu, Mario served the first ball, firing it straight at Mocchi, the other team’s weakest link. As expected, the frantic nurse screamed and cowered in fear but before the ball struck her, a nimble Jun swung around and punched the ball back up. Sae raced forward and spiked it over the net with tremendous force. It sailed past Yuko’s outstretched hands and hit the sand with a plop.
“Score!” Sae pumped his fist in the air and gave his new teammate a tight high ten. “You weren’t just bragging when you said you were good, kid! Let’s trash them!”
Jun’s chest swelled with pride and he flashed a toothy grin, feeling a growing sense of acceptance in the group of good-looking lads and ladies. He cast a sidelong glance at Ren and his heart fell a bit when the man averted his eyes.
“Damn, they are serious!” Yuko cursed.
“It’s your fault for being short and missing the ball,” Mario groused.
“Oh shut up. Your serve sucked in the first place.”
They did not have time to argue as the game promptly resumed with a power serve from Jun and Mario made a heroic dive for it. Although he managed to make contact with the ball, it bounced off his fist at an odd angle and flew out of the court, resulting in an error.
“So what good does your height do now, stick?” Yuko taunted, rubbing salt into his wounded ego.
With the rapidly rising tension in their team, whatever little chemistry they shared earlier had dipped to minus levels. It did not take long for Sae’s rejuvenated team to level the score and now both teams were tied at twenty-three points. The first team to score twenty-five or more with a two-point margin would win the set.
The panting Yuko and Mario had their fierce gazes locked on Jun as he prepared to serve the next ball. The next point was crucial and Yuko swore on her collection of Nyannyan photos that she would not concede it to the other team. In her mind, it was just her and the ball. There was no way she could trust the stick after his screw-ups. Unbeknownst to her, Mario had the exact same thoughts about her. The second the ball soared past the net, both of them sprinted in the direction it was flying in like race horses with blinkers on. By the time they realised they were just inches away from each other, it was too late. There was a loud smacking of limbs and a sharp cry of pain as the two speeding bodies collided in a tangled heap.
“Fuck! That hurts!” Yuko yelled. She was lying on her back and clutching her throbbing head as flashing stars danced around her. Opening her eyes, she came face-to-face with Mario who was mere centimetres above her and his hot breath was breathing down her face. Their eyes bulged when they realised the precarious position they were in. Letting out an ear-splitting screech, Yuko pushed Mario away only to make him lose his balance and crash down on her. Her scream was instantly muffled by a pair of warm lips.
“Oh my God…” Rie gasped.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” Sae’s jaw dropped.
It was as if someone had shot a bullet through his head. Mario could only stare blankly at Yuko’s petrified brown eyes as their faces were squashed together. His quick-witted brain had failed him and stopped functioning totally. On the other hand, Yuko was squirming uncomfortably under Mario’s sweat-slicked half-naked body. She was acutely aware of his bare chest pressing against her thinly clothed breasts. In all her life, she had never been this close to a man before. The sheer thought of it disgusted her to no end. She loved women and their soft feminine curves, bouncy boobs and perky asses, not tough muscles and the repulsive third leg of men. Speaking of which, fear gripped her heart as she felt something hard pressing against her crotch.
There was a muffled scream and everyone watched in stunned silence as Yuko thrashed wildly and shoved Mario off her. Standing over him, she delivered a kick to the vulnerable spot in between his legs, causing all men present to grab their prized jewels instinctively and cringe in true empathy.
“Oww!” the once-proud Mario howled in extreme pain and rolled around the sand, losing all his dignity in a split second. The corners of his tightly squeezed eyes glistened with unshed tears. “What the hell did you do that for?” he lashed out at the equally furious Yuko.
“Y-You were getting hard on me, you freak!” Yuko blasted.
“That’s nonsense!” Mario shot back. “Why would I get hard on someone like you?”
“It was pressing against me! Your disgusting man-”
“That was my leg, damn it!” Mario cut her off and attempted to sit up but only succeeded in curling up in a foetal position as another wave of pain rocked his nerves.
“Huh, what? Your leg?”
“Yes, you imbecile! You are going to pay for this,” growled Mario as he slowly stood up.
“You could be lying for all I know,” Yuko retaliated. “Anyway, you still deserved the kick for kissing me.”
“Senseless reasoning from the idiot,” Mario grumbled as he hobbled to the side where Mayu was resting. He could not be bothered to carry on the debate. All he wanted now was a strong dose of general anaesthetic to knock him out and take away the pain completely.
“So are we still playing?” Jun asked cautiously.
“No,” Yuko snapped. “I’m going back to take a nice, long bath to wash off all traces of man juice.”
Jun turned to Sae and asked, “What’s with her?”
“Oh, she’s a lesbian.”
No other explanation was needed as Jun nodded in understanding. As the group packed up and was about to head back to the hotel, they heard a familiar voice call for Jun.
“Jun-kun, where are you?”
“Crap! I forgot all about the time!” Jun checked his watch before waving at the woman in the distance. “Atsuko-san! I’m here!”
“Officer Maeda?” Mayu recognised the silky brown bobbed hair of the police officer whom they had worked with on several occasions. As Atsuko made her way over, another familiar short figure behind her came into view. “And Takahashi-san?”
“Acchan, Takamina!” Yuko bounded over, feeling a lift in her spirits at the unexpected appearance of her long-time pals.
“Yuko!” Takahashi Minami stumbled back as Yuko pounced onto her, enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug while Mayu greeted the duo in his normal calm voice.
Confusion was etched all over Jun’s face. “Atsuko-san, you know them?”
“They are doctors and nurses at Akiba Hospital. We’ve worked together a few times.”
“What are you doing here?” Yuko chirped.
“I’m here with my team to investigate a series of rape cases in Okinawa recently,” Atsuko explained. “Takamina is worried about me so she came along,” she added the next sentence with a faint blush on her tanned cheeks.
Listening to Atsuko’s words, Mayu was quick to put two and two together.
That explains why Matsui-san can fight so well.“So that means Matsui-san is your colleague,” the doctor deduced and received a nod in response.
“Jun-kun just joined the force three weeks ago,” Atsuko informed.
As if on cue, Jun stepped forward and performed a sharp salute.
“Officer Matsui from the Criminal Investigation Bureau at your service. Nice to meet you!”
---
To be continued…Thank you very much for reading! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated
Topic: [Dr. Watanabe x Nurse Kashiwagi Christmas Special] Under the Mistletoe (29 Dec) (Read 254539 times)