One word. SMOOTH.

The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand.

–Frederic Lawrence

. . .

“Uh. Gomen,” Hiro automatically found himself saying, a bit awed at the strange expression on her face. The wounded stare looked so out of place on Lunamor’s face, “…Is there something else?”

Because this…

This was the second time that she had actually made (even initiated) physical contact with him and in one day too–and for the love of all that is good and fucking holy, Hiro couldn't figure out why it made him feel so strange… and definitely uneasy. Maybe it was because of the fact that Lunamor is a… well, not a minor. But because she's his student?

As far as Hiro was concerned, physical contact was completely unnecessary and uncomfortable by nature with a student and at the same time, he knows Lunamor hadn't really meant anything by it.

“Can I... join you for lunch?”

Hiro does not compute.

Error. Please reboot.

He jolted, spluttering, “E-Excuse m–?”

At his tone, Lunamor tensed, as if struggling not to wince, “No, I mean, I... I misspoke. Cyan was the one asking if we could join you for lunch,”

“What,” Hiro’s eyebrows practically shot upwards at the sudden mention of her little brother, “…but it’s been two hours since then! Your brother still hasn’t gone home yet? What were you even doing?!”

“…Cyan threw a tantrum in the Dean’s office during that, we had to calm him down during that,” Lunamor answered–as if that should have explained everything.

He frowned, “Isn’t he a bit old for that?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Throwing tantrums, I don’t know?” Hiro tried to shrug her hand on his arm off. It wouldn’t budge. His frowned deepened, “How old is he anyways?”

“He’s eight,” she muttered.

At that, Hiro gave her a more or less judging stare.

… because if it were his parents, they would have told him to suck it up or something. Mind you, his folks were good people, but they were pretty strict too. They wouldn’t let him do as he pleases especially if he (or his sister) was being such a brat.

They don’t reward bad behavior, that’s for sure.

“Do you generally let Cyan do what he wants, Ms. Lunamor?”

She paused, for a moment.

“…Only if it’s within reason,”

Hiro sighed deeply at that. Knowing Lunamor, he’ll count that answer as a ‘yes’–if that out-of-character hesitation is not enough of a clue as it is.

“You’re going to spoil that kid rotten,” he groused.

She bit at her lip, “Yes, I think I already did.”

“Is that wise?”

“I’m regretting it, actually.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have spoiled him.”

She shrugged, “Everyone makes mistakes”

Hiro made a sudden noise (somewhere between a laugh and snort), “Did you just seriously called your brother a–”

“No,” she snapped.

Hiro nodded, completely straight-faced, “Okay,”

Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh.

Don’t you dare laugh–

Lunamor eyed him expectantly, “…Well?”

“What?”

Lunamor tensed but didn’t release him.

“Can we join you for lunch?” she stressed.

Somehow, Hiro wasn’t surprised if it happens that Cyan was going to grow up as an even bigger spoiled brat with an apparently overly indulgent big sister like Lunamor.

Who knew?

But for the life of him, what kind of parents even let their kids do whatever the hell they… and just as quick, Hiro winced at where his own line of thinking was headed when he quickly remembered that these two (three actually, because they apparently have an older brother) have no parents to be there for any of them.

“Uh, sure…” Hiro finally answers–his hesitation obviously clear in his voice and at the look on Lunamor’s face, he hurriedly added: “Both of you can tag along if that is alright with you?”

She blinked, “If you don’t mind having me…”

“Not at all, I guess.”

“Debatable,” she muttered.

…or at least, he thinks she did.

Hiro glanced at her, “Come again?”

“Nothing…”

An awkward silence immediately ensued between the two of them and Hiro immediately remembered that she’s still holding on to his arm as he stared pointedly at her gloved hand then at her.

Thankfully, Lunamor seemed to get the hint because she immediately released him without saying a word.

“W-well… Miss Lunamor, I usually eat lunch with some of the other professors in the cafeteria. Is that alright with the two of you? Cyan might get bored there,” Hiro managed to say as she straightened to her usual height, deciding that he couldn’t see any actual reason not to eat lunch with the two of them deciding to tag along.

Besides, it was a public location in broad daylight. Surely that counts for something? It wouldn’t look too weird if they had a kid and a giant with them, right?

Also, Cyan could simply follow and look for him there if he actually wanted to come along and majority of people who are commonly inside the cafeteria were also students like his sister.

They shouldn’t look that out of place.

And Hiro normally ate lunch with the other professors, but he didn't think that they would mind if a kid (or Lunamor herself) somehow joined their little group. It was usually a mix of professors and T.A.s anyway and Lunamor was close enough to be considered as a T.A. as far as anyone is concerned.

Besides, his conversations with her were mostly more like the sort of conversations one would have with a grad student.

“No, he’s fine,” she assured.

“Ah alright, if you say so…”

They began to walk together towards the cafeteria in silence with Hiro walking slightly in the lead since he wasn’t sure if Lunamor even knows where the cafeteria is or if she has even been in it. Meanwhile, Lunamor placed her phone inside her pocket after taking a short glance at it.

“Actually… I already told Cyan to wait for us in the cafeteria,” she suddenly informed him when they were nearing their destination.

“Sorry?”

“I mean, I texted him an hour ago.”

At that, Hiro stopped walking.

Lunamor glanced at him, “…What is it?’

And Hiro face-palmed there and then:

“Then why you did even ask?!”

Obviously, it was a rhetorical question, so Hiro wasn’t really expecting an answer for that–though to be honest, he actually had nothing to prepare himself with Lunamor’s quiet but earnest answer:

” …because I like talking to you.”