Chapter 234: Even The Cutest Of Animals Bite

Mika scrolled to the final photo and smiled faintly.

"And...I think that’s about it." He said, leaning back in the chair. "No more after this one."

Fauna froze mid-swipe, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"No more?!" She gasped, turning to him with the most dramatic expression imaginable. "Come on, Mika! You’re joking, right? There’s no way this is all of them! It’s barely anything!"

"Barely anything?" Mika repeated with an incredulous laugh. "Fauna, I just showed you over eight hundred photos."

She blinked. "Eight hundred?"

"Eight hundred twenty-four to be exact." He smirked. "Every single one taken with you in mind. Every one of them, I angled perfectly so that each animal looked as cute as possible. You should be thanking me for my artistic dedication, not complaining."

Fauna puffed out her cheeks in protest, crossing her arms tightly.

"Oh, I appreciate them! I do! I appreciate them more than anything!" She said quickly, then leaned closer with pleading eyes. "But I still want more! There has to be more, Mika! You can’t just stop here...Eight hundred isn’t enough!"

He chuckled, tilting his head slightly.

"You really are something else." He murmured with amusement, then smiled knowingly. "Alright, alright. I can show you one more picture of a cute animal."

Her whole face lit up again.

"Really?! Show me, show me, show me!" She said, bouncing slightly in his lap. "Which one is it? Is it a baby panda? Or a hedgehog? Or maybe a chubby raccoon? Come on, hurry!"

But instead of handing her the phone, Mika held it away. Fauna blinked in confusion.

"Hey...what are you doing?" She asked suspiciously.

"Just wait." Mika said, grinning as he switched the phone from the photo gallery to the camera app.

He flipped it to the front-facing mode, leaned back slightly, and positioned the selfie camera so both their faces fit in frame.

Then—click!

The sound of the shutter echoed softly.

"Eh? What was that for?" Fauna blinked, stunned.

Mika smiled, turning the screen toward her.

"Look, Fauna, look." He said with excitement, pointing at the photo.

On the screen, Fauna stared back at herself, her hair slightly tousled, her cheeks flushed pink from excitement, her bright green eyes wide with surprise.

Her lips were parted in mid-question, giving her the expression of a startled kitten caught doing something silly.

"This animal..." Mika said dramatically, pointing at her face in the photo. "...see this one sitting right here on my lap with the cute little expression and the fluffy golden hair? I don’t know what exactly it’s called—but I can say for certain it’s the most adorable creature I’ve ever seen."

"Mika..." She whispered, caught between embarrassment and disbelief.

But he wasn’t done.

"Not only is its appearance completely irresistible, but the way it behaves is even more fascinating. It squeaks, pouts, and whines in the most charming ways. Sometimes it even puffs up its cheeks to look scary, but it just ends up looking cuter. It’s truly one-of-a-kind."

Fauna’s face turned crimson.

"Mika!" She yelped, glaring up at him. "I-I am not an animal! I really am not an animal!"

"Oh? You’re not?" His lips curled up. "That’s odd. Because this one seems to be making noises that sound a lot like squeaks right now."

"Mika please..." Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

He feigned confusion.

"Oh dear, it’s speaking again! But I can’t understand a word. Must be the mysterious beast’s native language."

"Mika! Why are you doing this to me?" Fauna let out a frustrated whine, as she buttee her head against his chest like a bull.

But he only used that to tease her even more saying, "Oh, look at that, now it’s rubbing against me affectionately. Seems this creature really likes me. How adorable."

"MIKA!"

But he only smiled innocently, clearly enjoying every second of her flustered expression.

And that was also the the final straw for Fauna.

Before he could react, Fauna grabbed his hand, and—CHOMP!—bit down on it hard enough to make him yelp.

"Ah! Ow, ow, ow! Fauna! What are you doing?!" Mika shouted, trying to pull his hand free.

But Fauna only tightened her bite, glaring up at him with puffed-up cheeks and muffled words.

"Mmmph! If I’m an animal, then animals bite! That’s what they do!"

"Fauna, ow! Stop that! That actually hurts!" Mika said, half laughing, half wincing as he tried to shake her off.

But she kept her hold stubbornly, still speaking in a muffled tone.

"Too fhad! You said I’m a bfheast, right? Then I’m hacting like one! I’m biting! And I won’t let gho!"

In her mind, Fauna thought she had finally turned the tables, that she’d won. She had him squirming, trying to pull free while she, the mighty beast, stood her ground.

For once, she felt like the dominant one, the victorious hunter who had cornered her prey.

But Mika, on the other hand, had no intention of going down so easily. A slow, mischievous smirk curved across his lips as his sharp eyes glinted with danger.

"I guess what you say makes sense." He said casually. "But you really are one rabid little animal, biting me like this."

He flexed his fingers slightly, pretending to wince before adding,

"And it seems like I’ll have to use my full power to deal with this ferocious creature before it does any serious damage."

Fauna blinked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously while still keeping her teeth on his hand.

"But luckily for me..." He chuckled under his breath. "Even though I don’t know this animal’s species name, I do know its weakness."

That made her jolt in alarm, her eyes widening. She instantly let go, looking up at him nervously.

"W-Weakness?" She said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Oh yes." Mika leaned closer, his tone low and teasing. "I know exactly what this little creature can’t handle..."

Her expression turned from smug to terrified in half a second.

"M-Mika, no...D-Don’t you dare."

He grinned devilishly beofe finally saying,

"I know just how much this animal hates to be tickled."

Her reaction was immediate.

"Stop! Stop right there, Mika! Please! I won’t bite you anymore! I promise!" She said, scooting back slightly, her hands defensively covering her sides.

But Mika was already moving.

"Too late." He said, laughing as his hands darted to her waist.

The moment his fingers started to move, Fauna erupted into uncontrollable laughter.

"No! No, Mika! Stop! Stop, please—! Hahaha!" She squealed, twisting in his lap and kicking lightly. "It tickles! It tickles so much! Please, Mika, I beg you!"

Her laughter echoed through the room, bright and helpless.

"Noo, Mikaaa, Nooo! Please I won’t bit you anymore so please! Hahahaha!~"

Tears instantly began forming at the corners of her eyes as she shook from laughter, but Mika didn’t relent.

"This animal loves to use deception." He said in seriousness, his fingers still dancing mercilessly along her sides. "It’ll say whatever it needs to make you stop. But then it’ll strike again later."

"No, no! I swear I won’t! I won’t bite you again!" She gasped between laughs. "I promise, Mika! I promise!"

"I can’t take that risk." He said dramatically, grinning as he leaned over her. "I need to make sure this beast learns its lesson!"

She twisted and kicked helplessly, wriggling on his lap, trying to push his hands away, but every time she moved, he just caught her again.

"Mika! Hahaha! Nooo! Please! I surrender! I surrender, you win! Hahaha! I won’t ever bite again, I promise! I’ll be good, I’ll be good!"

"Oh? Really? You’ll never bite me again?" He laughed quietly, clearly enjoying himself far too much.

"Never! Never, ever, ever!" She gasped out between giggles, clutching his wrists. "Just stop, please! I can’t take it anymore!"

"Hmm." Mika pretended to think, still tickling her sides. "I don’t know. I’m not entirely convinced."

"Mikaaa!" She wailed, shaking uncontrollably with laughter, her head falling back against his shoulder. "You’re the worst! I’m gonna die! I can’t breathe! A-And worse I might pee myself if you keep going, so please!"

Hearing this and not wanting a mess on his lap, he finally gave a satisfied smirk and stopped, letting her catch her breath.

Fauna slumped forward, completely exhausted, her chest rising and falling as she panted hard, her hair sticking slightly to her forehead.

"Haah...Haah..." She breathed, barely able to sit upright. "Y-You’re a monster..."

"Says the one who bit me first." Mika leaned back, chuckling softly, watching her melt like a tired child.

"I thought..." She gasped between breaths. "I thought I finally got you this time...but nooo, you always win..."

"You should know by now, Fauna, I always get the last word."

He chuckled and she tried to glare at him but ended up giggling instead, the sound small and airy.

Her cheeks were pink, her eyes soft, her whole body limp against him like a child who’d laughed too hard for too long.

Mika too let his gaze linger for a moment before looking away, his expression softening.

This was how it always was between them.

No matter how old they got, no matter how many years passed or how many titles they held, when Fauna and Mika were together, they stopped being the serious adults the world saw them as.

The battle angel who saved the world, the doctor who healed millions, the savior, the saint—all of that disappeared.

They became two kids again.

Two dumb kids teasing, laughing, and playing without a single care in the world.

It was ridiculous. It was stupid. And it was perfect.

Because with Fauna, everything difficult and heavy just faded away. The weight of his world, his duties, his burdens, none of it mattered. With her, he could simply be.

Free-spirited. Joyful. Unrestrained.

Like two kids on a playground, laughing until the sun went down.

But just as Mika’s mind drifted into the warmth of old memories, Fauna suddenly let out a soft sigh.

"You really have changed, Mika." She said quietly, her voice filled with fondness as a small smile curved her lips.

"Changed, huh?" Mika blinked, glancing down at her.

She nodded, her hair brushing against his chest as she tilted her gaze toward the distant window.

"A few days ago, Nadia actually sent a message in the group chat, one of those sudden, random ones she drops in the middle of the night."

"Oh boy, that already sounds like trouble." Mika smirked knowingly.

"She said you’d changed." Fauna giggled softly. "She told me, and I quote, ’Mika’s different now. ’He’s...softer. More open. More loving.’ and a bunch of other things about you."

"And honestly, I didn’t believe her." Her lips curved into a small, amused smile as she went on to say, "I thought she was just trying to tease me. You know how she is, with that weird monotone voice of hers—but somehow always using a ridiculous number of emojis in her messages."

"Right?" That made Mika laugh. "Every time she texts me, I have to double-check if it’s the same person I’m talking to. Like, ’Did Nadia’s phone get hacked by a teenager?’"

Fauna chuckled, shaking her head.

"Exactly! I thought it was all a joke. For the past few days, I kept wondering if what she said was true or if she was just pulling my leg." She paused, looking up at him now, her gaze soft. "But then...I saw you today."

Mika’s smile softened. "Yeah?"

She nodded, her voice gentle but firm.

"And I realized...she was right."

He raised an eyebrow slightly, curious.

"You really have changed, Mika. You’re not the cold, distant person you were before. You’re smiling more. You’re laughing. You’re having fun, with me."

Her hand brushed lightly over his chest.

"You’re actually talking to me with that big, bright smile I used to love so much. Before, you’d barely talk for more than a few minutes before finding some excuse to leave. But now..." She sighed, her eyes shimmering. "Now, you’re really here."

She shook her head gently.

"No, actually...rather than saying you’ve changed, it’s more like you’ve gone back, to who you once were. The Mika I knew so long ago. The one who’d laugh with me, tease me endlessly, and always find a way to make me smile."

Her voice grew softer, full of quiet affection.

"Just by looking at you right now...I feel like I’m seeing that same old Mika again. My little bunny, right in front of me."

Hearing this, Mika wasn’t expecting Nadia to spread the information of his change to everyone but he didn’t mind at all as she was doing a favour and didn’t have to explain everything to everyone.

But he also knew that he to say a few things of his own so he did.

"Is that so?" He murmured. "Then tell me, Fauna—"

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper.

"Which one do you prefer? The old Mika or the one before this?"

Fauna blinked in surprise.

"I’ll give you a warning." He grinned. "This Mika, the one you’re seeing right now, he’s going to tease you a lot more. He’ll bully you all the time, make you flustered, maybe even make you cry with how much he picks on you."

"...And knowing that do you still want the Mika in front of you to stay."

And in response, Fauna looked up at him with that same fond, tender expression that could melt steel.

"I don’t care." She said softly. "You can tease me all you want, Mika. You can even make me cry if you must. I don’t care."

She shook her head, her eyes glistening.

"I also don’t know why you changed or what made you become this Mika again, but...it doesn’t matter to me. I’m just happy you’re here. Happy that you’re smiling again. That you’re you."

Her hand came up to cup his cheek, her thumb brushing gently over his skin.

"So, please, Mika." She whispered, her voice trembling with sincerity. "Please don’t change again. Please stay this way, the way you are right now. This is the true you, not that distant Mika you were before."

Her voice wavered as she added softly,

"I don’t want to lose this again. So, don’t disappear on me like that ever again, okay?...I-I really don’t think my heart can handle you disappearing from life once again."

For a moment, Mika didn’t say anything. He just stared at her, taking in the vulnerability in her eyes, the quiet plea behind her smile.

Then, he smiled gently and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Alright, Fauna...I hear you."

He leaned back slightly, meeting her gaze again.

"The Mika I was before...that was a mistake. I thought closing myself off would protect everyone else—but I just ended up hurting everyone who cared about me. So, you don’t have to worry, Fauna. I’ve learned from that. I’ll stay the same Mika you always loved."

Hearing this, Fauna’s breath hitched, and then her entire face lit up with childlike joy.

"Yes! Yes, Mika!" She exclaimed, her voice rising with excitement. "My baby Mika’s back! He’s really back with me!"

Before he could respond, she squealed and started rolling around on the examination slab like an overexcited kid.

"He’s back! He’s finally back! I’m so happy!" She said, laughing uncontrollably, her hair a mess as she flailed her arms in pure glee.

Mika just stared at her, both exasperated and endeared, before laughing quietly under his breath.

"Careful." He teased. "If someone walks in right now, they’ll think I just revived a patient from the dead with how much you’re flailing."

"I don’t care!" Fauna declared, grinning from ear to ear. "Let them see! I’m just happy, so happy! My Mika’s finally back!"

Her laughter filled the room like sunlight, warm and pure, and Mika couldn’t help but smile as he murmured fondly, smiling down at her

"Yeah...Your Mika’s back."

But even though he said that, he wasn’t exactly the same Mika she knew as he was already plotting against her.

He already had enough of their wholesome reunion and was ready to turn the tables on her...starting with that meaty ass he felt on his lap.