Chapter 239: Chapter 239: Let’s Play Doctor

Fauna saw how Mika’s expression dimmed. His shoulders slumped, and the confidence that had filled his eyes just minutes ago was gone.

Her smile faded into concern.

"What’s wrong, Mika?" She asked softly, her voice taking on that same motherly warmth he’d known since childhood. "Why do you look like that?"

She tilted her head, brushing a strand of hair from his face.

"You have the same look you did when you didn’t get picked as a main character for that play years ago...remember? You stood outside the hall, staring at the list with that exact expression."

Her tone softened even further.

"Talk to me, darling. Tell me what you’re feeling. Maybe I can help."

Mika tried to answer, but for a long moment, the words just wouldn’t come.

Finally, he let out a slow, shaky sigh and gave her a crooked, self-deprecating smile.

"It’s just...I failed at something I thought I was good at." He admitted quietly, not quite meeting her eyes. "It’s one thing to mess up at something you know you’re bad at, but..." He trailed off, then let out a little huff of laughter that was almost bitter. "Turns out I’m not really who I thought I was at all. And it...it makes me feel like—hell, like a really shitty person. A good for nothing."

He chuckled as if he could brush away the sting, but the shame lingered in his voice.

"I guess all that confidence was just...fake. Just noise."

Seeing this, Fauna’s eyes softened with both sympathy and fire.

"Oh, Mika..." She murmured. Then her tone changed, bright, determined, and filled with that infectious energy only she possessed. "Don’t you dare say that!"

He blinked, startled by the sudden strength in her voice.

"Don’t you dare say that about yourself, Mika!"

She repeated, pointing a finger at his chest, her eyes shining.

"One little failure doesn’t mean you’re a failure...Not at all! Do you hear me?" She shook his shoulders, trying to rouse him like a coach firing up a player. "Nobody gets everything right on the first try. Even the best people fall down sometimes, it’s just a step back, not the end of the world!"

He tried to look away, but she wouldn’t let him.

"And remember what I said a moment ago? About how you didn’t get picked for the lead...But what did you do in the end? You ended up making everyone laugh so hard during rehearsals that you stole the show anyway."

She grinned at the memory.

"You didn’t give up then, and you’re not allowed to give up now! You push forward, Mika. If there’s an obstacle, you don’t sit and cry about it, you find a way over it, or around it, or you smash right through it!"

She then drew a breath, her eyes gleaming, and suddenly, she put her fists in the air and started chanting, her voice ringing through the room with musical clarity,

"Go, Mika, go! Go, Mika, go! You’re the best, don’t you know!"

Mika blinked, taken aback by the sheer force of her cheer. But Fauna didn’t stop—she bounced up and down, repeating it, drumming the words into his heart, clapping and grinning with infectious enthusiasm.

"Go, Mika, go! Go, Mika, go! You’re the best, don’t you know!"

"Go, Mika, go! Go, Mika, go! Even if you’re feeling low!"

"You can do it, Mika—yes you can! Just get up and try again!"

The melody and warmth in her encouragement cut through the gloom around him, like sunlight parting the clouds.

It was ridiculous. It was childish. It was so Fauna.

And yet, somehow, it worked.

With each repetition, he felt the heaviness in his chest begin to lift, his breathing easing, his lips slowly curling into a genuine, sheepish smile.

He then shook his head, a laugh bubbling up, unable to stop himself from joining in for a moment, echoing her chant under his breath.

"Go, Mika, go, huh?"

"Of course!" Fauna beamed, still clapping, her cheeks glowing with pride. "There’s nothing you can’t do if you set your mind to it. One little failure doesn’t define you, Mika. It never did, and it never will."

"You know...you’re right." He looked at her, a rush of gratitude and something warmer surging through him. "I really shouldn’t give up just because of one bad moment. If something doesn’t work, I just have to try again, or try something different."

"Thank you, Fauna." He ran his fingers through her hair, patting her head with gentle affection. "Thanks for cheering me up. Without you, I’d still be down in the ditches, sulking."

Fauna giggled, eyes shining with childlike joy, as she leaned into his touch, all mischief and sunshine once more.

"It’s alright, Mika. Anything for my baby boy!"

She chirped—clearly not realizing at all that she had just given him every reason to keep trying, every reason to double down, to find some new way, any way, to break through her walls and finally get a reaction.

Mika then sat a little straighter, the fire in Fauna’s encouragement still lingering warmly in his chest.

Already, his mind spun with ideas, playful and shameless. If one path didn’t work, another might.

And if there was one thing Fauna never failed to inspire in him—it was the urge to ’play,’ no matter how childish or absurd.

So deciding to ’play’ around with her and try to provoke a reaction, he looked down at her, a sly smile growing on his lips.

"Hey, Fauna...Remember when we used to play Doctor?" His voice softened as nostalgia crept in. "Back then, I was so in awe of you, an actual doctor, saving lives. And I wanted to be a doctor too, just so I could be a little closer to you."

"So every night, I’d beg to play doctor with you. And you’d always let me, even if we stayed up so late you could barely keep your eyes open for your hospital shifts the next day."

Fauna’s whole face lit up, her eyes sparkling with laughter and fondness.

"Of course I remember, Mika! How could I ever forget?" She clasped his hands in hers, beaming. "You were the cutest little doctor I’ve ever seen. There were mornings I was so exhausted at the hospital, I almost nodded off standing—but I’d do it all again just for those nights. After all, you were so serious, always looking so cute when you checked me. Oh, those really were some of my favorite memories." She squeezed his hand. "There’s no way I could ever forget!"

Mika nodded, warmth radiating through him at her words. "Yeah...they were good times, weren’t they?"

He then paused, then added with a sly glint,

"And that’s why I was thinking...maybe we should play doctor again. For old times’ sake. Bring back some of those memories."

Fauna blinked, then her smile grew wide and delighted, her body almost bouncing on the sofa beside him.

"That’s a wonderful idea, Mika!" She said, her voice breathy with excitement, before she tilted her head, a curious look overtaking her joy. "But...I’m a little surprised you’d want to play such a childish game now. I mean, I wasn’t expecting you of all people to suggest it."

"Well, I told you, I’m not the same Mika I was before." Mika shrugged, a little sheepish, a little proud. "I’m a little more open-hearted these days. And if it means playing silly games with you and making you smile, I’m all for it. Besides, some games are just too good to give up, no matter how old we get."

Fauna’s expression softened into something luminous. She then didn’t wast any time and leaned over the side of her desk, rummaged through a drawer, and with a flourish, pulled out a stethoscope.

"So! Who’s going to be the doctor this time, Mika, me or you?" She held it up, grinning.

But she quickly paused, then shook her head with mock exasperation, giggling.

"What am I saying? You always had to be the doctor. You never let me, not even once! You said it wasn’t fair, since I was the real doctor in real life. So you’d march around with your little stethoscope and boss me around."

She put the earpieces in, then handed the chestpiece to him, grinning.

"Here, doctor’s orders. You take the lead, just like always."

"Alright, then, let’s get started."

He caught her gaze, watching her anticipation grow. But she didn’t notice the glint in his eyes, the cunning, the intent.

She was all innocence, trusting and bright, with no idea what kind of examination he had in mind.

Without wasting any more time, Mika then brought the piece to her chest gently pressed the cool metal of the stethoscope onto her bare breast—directly atop her nipple.

The sudden cold made her squeal and squirm, giggling as she hugged her arms around herself.

"Ah! Mika, that’s cold!" She protested, though her voice was nothing but cheerful. "Don’t put it there, it’s so cold!"

Mika didn’t let up, rolling the metal across her nipple.

"Shh...Hold still, Fauna. I need a proper reading. If you keep wriggling, I’ll never hear your heartbeat."

Fauna burst into laughter, her breasts bouncing gently as she struggled to stay still.

"But Mika! That’s not where my heart is! You’re just rubbing it on my nipple! A proper doctor knows you put it under the breast, on the ribcage."

She pushed her breasts up with her hands, showing the curve of her chest, pointing beneath the swell.

"Here, like this, see? Even a kid knows that much."

But Mika only grinned wider, undeterred. He continued his slow, circular massage, pressing the stethoscope into her nipple, groping her breast with his free hand for emphasis.

"Maybe that’s how it works for most people...But you, Fauna, you’re different." He spoke with gravity, eyes shining. "You see, you’re such a pure and sweet soul that your heart is so much larger than anyone else’s. So, if I put this right on your chest, the sound would be so loud it would burst my eardrums."

"For someone as special as you, I have to use the very tip of your nipple, right here, so the heartbeat comes through softer. Otherwise, it’d be dangerous!"

Fauna burst out laughing again, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh, Mika, you always come up with the silliest excuses! There’s no way my heart is that loud or big. You’re just making things up now." She stuck her tongue out at him. "And I bet you can’t hear a thing except my giggling."

Mika’s hands kept moving, groping, massaging, occasionally flicking the stethoscope against her nipple so the coolness made her shudder and laugh.

"Oh, I definitely can." He insisted, eyes twinkling. "Just look at you. As long as I’m pressing here..." He wiggled the stethoscope on her nipple, making her yelp with a mixture of laughter and playful annoyance. "...I can hear everything I need to know."

Then, with a evil flourish, he held up the chestpiece, holding it beside her breast.

"And look at this! The stethoscope’s circle is exactly the same size as your areola. It’s like it was made just for you, Fauna."

Fauna’s eyes widened in genuine amazement at Mika’s observation. She reached down, took his hand and the stethoscope, and pressed them both to her nipple, her face lit up in wonder.

"Wow, Mika, I never even noticed that before! Look at that...it really is the exact same size. It’s almost as if..." She laughed, circling her areola with her finger and then matching it perfectly to the rim of the stethoscope. "...they traced my nipples and used that as the template when they designed these...What a strange coincidence!"

Hearing this remark, Mika grinned, eyes alight with mischief. He then twisted her nipple gently with one hand, rolling it between his fingers, while still rubbing the other with the cold disc of the stethoscope.

"That’s no coincidence at all, Fauna. That’s fate. You know how some people say they have lines on their hands that tell their fortune, or what job they’re destined for? Well, I think you were born with perfectly round areolas just so you could be the ideal doctor."

He leaned in, voice dropping to a playful whisper.

"That’s destiny, Fauna...You nipples tell you that you were always meant for this."

"No way...You’re making that up just to tease me."

She laughed, a little breathless, half-believing him for a moment as she gazed down at her own chest.

"You think just because my areola fits your stethoscope, that means I was born to be a doctor? How Ridiculous and funny at the same time!"

Mika shrugged with theatrical seriousness, twisting her nipple a little more firmly, eliciting a soft whimper from Fauna, though even that sounded more entertained than aroused.

"Oh, I’m not making it up at all. In fact, if we went outside right now and checked every doctor’s nipples, I bet we’d find out they all match their stethoscopes perfectly. That’s just how it is, it’s written in the stars. I’d even put money on it!"

But hearing this Fauna had a much more different reaction.

Instead of giggling like usual, Fauna’s eyes shot wide, her lips forming an outraged pout as she jabbed a finger at his chest.

"Mika! You bad boy. You can’t just go up to a doctor, especially a female doctor, and ask to check her nipples. That’s horribly inappropriate!"

She crossed her arms, looking both scandalized and stern, but it only made her look more adorable.

"They’d file a complaint on you for sexual misconduct! Only a naughty boy would even think of something like that. You mustn’t do anything like that, okay?..Promise me!"

Mika was surprised by her reaction for a second, before pulling her into his arms and pressing a quick, apologetic kiss to her forehead.

"Alright, alright, I was just joking! I’d never actually do something so ridiculous."

He then let his tone soften into something a little more thoughtful as he asked,

"But...right now, Fauna, I’m doing the exact same thing to you. I stripped you down in your office, I’m measuring your areolas, rubbing and squeezing, and...well, you’re letting me. Isn’t that wrong, too? Isn’t this just as bad, or maybe even worse?"

And in response, Fauna just blinked up at him, utterly unfazed, and shook her head with that same breezy innocence that always unraveled him.

"Not at all, Mika. This is different. It’s just you and me playing, a mother and son and there’s nothing wrong with that."

"If you want to play with my nipples, then you can, as much as you want, Mika...But doing the same to others is wrong and you better not do something like that young man."

She beamed up at him, as if that settled the matter once and for all.

But Mika just stared at her, words caught somewhere between exasperation and awe.

Hearing what she said, made it obvious that it wasn’t as if Fauna didn’t understand the world—she did.

She knew exactly how any outsider would see this, knew the lines between what is right and wrong.

But with him, every rule, every social norm, simply bent and broke, as if the universe had made an exception solely for their little world.

Her logic was unwavering, her trust absolute. It gave him a headache, and yet...

He couldn’t help but admire her for it. She was completely adamant: with Mika, nothing could ever be wrong, no matter how far he went.

But still...he wasn’t ready to give up.

Not when her body was still so calm, so untouched by the kind of pleasure he wanted her to feel.

And maybe the secret wasn’t her nipples, after all.

Maybe the answer lay somewhere lower, somewhere hidden between her thighs that he decided to ’check-up’ next.