Nero

Cleaning, gutting out, and fileting a fish with Reina was a nightmare. When we’d gone back home, the both of us walked into the one room she was forbidden in—the kitchen. I thought she’d be fine preparing the fish for frying, seeing as she single handedly decapitated a fish monster. But I learned that it was all wishful thinking. I get that the bass was big, but she was a big girl. From descaling the fish to opening that bad boy up, she was hesitant, squeamish even.

The concept just didn’t make sense to me….

She didn’t like the fact that the scales tucked under her polished nails. That wouldn’t have been such an issue if she knew how to use the knife right! I swear I still had a fleck of fish skin under my eyelid from her horrendous shaving technique. Getting bombarded by them was annoying. And don’t even get me started with gutting the damn thing out….

“Just look at that slimy meat,” Reina whined, gingerly holding the fish by its tail. “How am I supposed to just... slice it open?”

“You’ve done worse!” I retorted. Truth be told, Reina’s disgust was amusing. I wouldn’t have guessed the girl who tore through a flesh eater easily twice her size could be so scared of some fish guts. “Now quit being a drama queen and use the technique I taught you.”

“I can’t get a firm grip on it,” she hissed. “Ugh, my fingers are going to smell like fish for days! This is unacceptable!”

“I told you before, sensei doesn’t have any gloves in his storage unit.”

“I wish you’d told me how utterly grotesque this chore was!”

“You’d definitely not survive in the wild.”

“I’d never have to live in the wild!” she fired back. “We have the simple luxury of having a roof over our heads!”

“Give me that,” I spat, grabbing her knifed hand and fixing myself behind her. “You have to work the knife on the flat side. Smooth, horizontal slices. No need to butcher the fish.” I helped her glide the knife, my hand holding hers on the handle. “See? Nice, even strokes…”

Her body tensed, my eyes catching her grip on the knife begin to shake.

“Please, stop, it’s too much!” she whimpered. “Something is going to squirt out! I just know it!”

“You’re only cutting into muscle.”

“No,” she protested, her voice strained. “My hands are getting slippery!”

“Then grip the knife tighter,” I advised, my fingers tightening around hers. “You have to be in control, not the dead fish.”

“I feel sick,” she whispered melodramatically, tossing her eyes away from the fish and nearly thumping the back of her head against my chin in the process.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You’re not even looking at it,” I retorted, rolling my eyes despite the fact that she couldn’t see me.

She groaned but didn’t argue further. We continued cutting through the fish in silence, and I could feel her gradually becoming comfortable with the motion of the blade. By the time we reached the end of it, she had stopped trembling and had started to cautiously maneuver along the fish on her own.

“That’s it,” I nodded approvingly, watching as she continued to carve into the fish.

“Oh goodness, I did it?!”

“Actually, we did it, but—”

She giggled. “This cooking thing is not half bad!”

I smiled. “All right, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, now.”

“Am I… interrupting something?” Gun said, my head immediately turning to him standing under the doorway of the kitchen. He flashed us a cheeky grin, tucking one hand in his pocket and the other playing with the toothpick between his teeth.

As soon as Reina saw him, she tossed her arms in the air and brushed me off immediately. “Unhand me, nerd!” Reina hissed, a hint of red creeping up her face. “I’m done being feely touchy with my dinner!”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re lucky you’re getting some with the way you were handling it.”

Gun laughed.

“The both of you are just downright filthy!” she hissed and growled. “Men!” She stormed out of the kitchen, whispering something about deep sanitizing her fingers in the shower.

I snorted. “What did I say?”

“You sure you’re not into Reina?”

I laughed. “I’m beginning to think you’re seeing me as some type of competition. Gun.”

“I saw Reina head off, and then you went the same direction a little after,” he said, flicking his toothpick in the trash bin as he walked over to me. “Looked like a set up for a little private time.”

I chuckled. “Happy accident, I swear. We both had the same idea to fish.”

“Is that your catch over there?”

“Well Reina wouldn’t have caught anything that big.”

He smirked. “Not yet. Not if she doesn’t play her cards right.”

I smiled. “Is she really your type?”

“And she’s not yours? The babe’s got it! No complaints! She’s smart; she’s feminine, shapely, and petite. Got a nice basement to match the balcony. What more can you ask for?”

“Pull back on the sass, the haughtiness, the spoiled brat complex, the pride, the loud mouth, the constant naggi—”

“Hey, no one is perfect!”

“She made a living picking on me and my friends in school. I only fired back when she got real rough and personal. She didn’t like the fact that I was so quick to defend myself. It made her look weak…” I explained as I flipped the fish and filletted the other side. “But I never took our quarreling seriously. I always thought someone that mean had their own problems going on. And I had no right to make it worse.”

“That’s a pretty honorable thing to say, Nero. Doesn’t change the fact that she wants a piece of you.”

I choked.

“But don’t worry, I’ll change her mind.” Gun smirked.

“You got Reina all confused!”

“I don’t know about you, but I’ve been around enough women to know when they are interested in a guy.”

I looked at him funny. “Do you, now?”

“And I also know when a girl like her is one in a million. Reina’s a real catch, and I’ll fight for her if I have to!” he said, tossing his fist into his palm.

I raised my hand defensively. “Hey, I’m not trying to battle you to the death over some girl I don’t like, dude.”

“Doesn’t matter if you don’t like her. The fact that she likes you is what’s important!”

“She doesn’t like me either; you’re delusional!”

“A man with lack of experience would say that!”

“What?!”

“We fight after breakfast. By the garden courtyard. Be there and be ready!”

I chuckled sheepishly. “This is a joke, right?”

“For Reina’s hand! I will show her that I’m stronger than you, and she’d have to like me!”

Shit, he’s really serious!

“Bring your a-game, Nero!” He flexed his arm and slapped his bicep. “Just because we are friends doesn’t mean that I’ll go easy on you!”

“This is a prank?” I smiled nervously. “It’s a prank, right? Did Ash get you in on this?”

“I’m gonna go bang some reps in the gym!” he said, walking away with a pep in his step, the guy still pumping himself up as he walked down the hallway.

“What the hell just happened?”