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Uncomfortably, Rin and Sae sat on their cushions, which were firmly placed on tatami mats, around the table with their mother and father on the two remaining sides of the square shaped table- both unaware of the tension. It was silent, as per usual: the only exception being when Sae’s boyfriend joins them for dinner. And the exact reason Sae breaks the silence, something he has been doing more often over time when adjusting back to his parents once he came back from Spain.
“Shidou is coming over for dinner tomorrow.” His mother smiled and nodded in response, happy that the energetic lad would be visiting again.
Rin thought of the hell that would await him the next day when he remembered the conversation him and his boyfriend had a few days prior.
——
They were sat on Aryu’s sofa, Aryu sat upright at the end on the left side with a perfect posture, cradling Rin’s head in his lap while Rin’s body laid on the sofa with his head snuggly in Aryu’s lap.
Rin started the conversation, “You want to meet my parents right?”
His voice wavered slightly but enough that Aryu noticed, making it clear Rin wanted him to say no, but needed him to be honest, “I’ll be honest Rin, it would be nice to meet them. But only when you’re ready for me to meet them. It would be unglam of me to force you to do such things.”
Rin smiled up at him and turned clockwise to face the other man’s clothed stomach and planted his face there in search of more heat from his boyfriends body.
——
Rin also remembered tomorrow night the two of them were going to be having dinner at Aryu’s apartment so he wasn’t doing anything.
Hesitantly, he looked up from his meal and the grip he held his chopsticks with tightened ever so slightly as he borderline yelled so his voice would actually come out and not stay stuck in his throat, “Mama, Dad.” He said it more statement like but it got the tables attention, so he persevered, “Could I…” Rin’s voice suddenly got caught as he struggled the last part out, trying not to fluster as his gaze averted downward, “Can I bring my boyfriend tomorrow?”
Suddenly, it was like the world had stopped and silenced momentarily, the only noise being the clang of his father’s chopsticks hitting the rim of his bowl when he dropped them. Even though Rin wasn’t looking up at the other people on the table he could feel all of their eyes on him and looked up to see all of their mouths gaping and jaws hanging on by a string.
Normally, he would be angry at his family for underestimating him but he could understand the shock this time. Rin, the football maniac, having a life outside football? Unheard of.
His father speaks for the first time from the duration of the whole meal, “Boyfriend?”
Although it was an obvious rhetoric he answered anyway, “Yes. He’s in Sae’s year. Well before Sae left for Spain.”
“What’s his name?” Sae shot the question so quickly Rin almost didn’t hear it despite the loud volume Sae spoke at.
“Aryu Jyubei…” Rin muttered softly, as if he were caressing the name with his mouth. Cheesy. He thought.
“Shit. I mean. Crap.” Sae corrected himself. It was obvious the red head had no idea who that it, tge point was further proven when Sae ‘subtly’ used his phone to text someone- Shidou- about this mystery man, to no avail.
Rin’s mother, who had only just seemed to awake from her trance, finally spoke. “Rin it would be lovely to meet your boyfriend!”
Even if the woman was smiling he could tell she was nearing tears at the news of her youngest son being in a relationship, whether the tears were from happiness, sadness or reminiscence was undecided in Rin’s mind.
Rin texted his boyfriend under the table about the change of plans for the next day as well as his address and the time of dinner.
——————
Sae lay in bed staring at the ceiling, still in shock from the information Rin gave them. He hated to admit it but he was beyond worried about the person who would show up on the other side of the door the next day. His thoughts drifted to- probably- some of the worst men he knew, who he was also close friends with but he won’t comment on that further. What if he was like Michael Kaiser? An arrogant, self-centred bastard who treated his partner like a dog rather that an equal. What if he was like Oliver Aiku? A player who caught hearts then shattered them into little pieces, near irreparable for a first love.
Rolling over, he came face to face with an old photo of a younger version of himself holding the hand of a six-year-old Rin that stood on the bedside table. He sighed and thought about how much easier it would be if Rin was still that little boy who didn’t have a boyfriend nor any care about love in that context.
His initial worry came back to mind so he did what any logical older brother would, he grabbed his phone that lay next to the photo frame and opened his messages with Shidou.
—
Sae—>Demon<3
Demon.
Late night text from SAE!
what can I do 4 ya honey buns
You remember dinner tomorrow, yes?
OF COURSE!!
I WOULD NEVA 4GET N E THING SAE CHAN TELLS ME
Good.
Rin informed us his boyfriend will be coming
RINRIN HAS A BOYFRIEND?? SINCE WHEN 😧
IS IT THE ARYU GUY U ASKED ABT
Yes. I’m unsure. And yes.
Anyway. I want you to do something for me my demon.
I LOVE IT WHEN YOU GET ALL SERIOUS ON ME SAE
MAKES ME WANNA COME
WHAT IS IT
If he’s an ass beat him.
Feel free to go bat shit crazy.
I won’t hold you back if he shows any signs of being a bitch to my little brother.
damn sae chan
of course i won’t pass that offer up
if he was an ass to rinrin i woulda rocked his shit anyway
Good.
Good night Demon.
NIGHT BABY
LUV YA ❤️🔥
Love you too.
—
At least his boyfriend would beat the potential asshole if anything does happen.
——————
The family had finished cleaning the house for the new guest’s arrival. Rin had told them he would be fine with the small amount of dust that lingered among a tiny bit of clutter but his mother had a standard to hold. Rin gave up, he knew they would stop the perfectionism after the third visit like they did with Shidou and Sae’s friends. Not Rin’s though, Rin did not and does not have friends (except Bachira and Hiori but no one had to know that).
There was around 10 minutes until the arrival of Rin’s boyfriend and Shidou had already come over earlier that day meaning he was already sat next to the door to support Sae since Sae stared at the door emotionless but with a sense of vengeance like the door had done something wrong.
Rin had sprinted up to his room remembering the outfit his boyfriend had handmade for him, Aryu wants to be a fashion designer and made Rin an outfit especially for this event like many other events he had pre planned.
Sae’s stare of doom directed at the door was broken when he heard his brother run down the stairs in an outfit he would never think his brother would wear, being so different from his basic turtleneck, leather jacket and skinny jeans.
He instead wore a baby blue, cotton jacket/shirt with embroidery on it- a football, Rin’s favourite flower and references to his favourite horror games and movies scattered on it- and a pocket on the left peck-, a turtleneck which was definitely Rin’s just because of how simple it was compared to the rest of the outfit and he wore slightly baggy denim jeans which flared out slightly below the knee and although they were a darker blue they were most definitely made to match the jacket like shirt. Rin had reached peak stylishness.
Sae opened his mouth to speak, “Where did you get tha-” Only to be cut off the the door being knocked on at the exact moment it turned 7pm, the time they had invited him for dinner.
Sae stood up to open the door just to be shoved out the way by his mother who seemingly appeared out of thin air from the kitchen, next to his father who had also walked over from one meter away. His mother had most likely been anticipating this the most judging from the fact she moved at light speed.
The door, even though it was whipped open by his mother, seemed to move in slow motion for everyone, with the exception of Rin who was just happy to see his boyfriend while being nervous from the presence of his family.
Despite the day they were given to prepare it was clearly not enough when they actually saw the man, who had an impeccable outfit and seemed to be holding flowers and two gift bags. He was taller than everyone, which no may not seem shocking as a comparison but very much is since Shidou and Rin stand at 6’0 tall and this guy still towers over them, so much so when his mother wordlessly moved to the side so he could enter, he had to duck to get through the door- with extra effort so as to not harm his intricate hair piece which looked like a clip.
The shock stayed for a few more seconds while the man crouched down to discard his shoes and they realised how lengthy his hair was, fuck it could be compared to Rapunzel’s.
Once his shoes were removed he stood up at full length before bowing into a more os a 110 degree angle that a 90 degree angle- probably from the cramped space- as he shared his gratitude, “Thank you for having me, I’m beyond grateful you allowed me into your glamorous house and grace me with your beauty on this day.”
The family didnt quite understand or register what he said but his parents came to themselves and made the boy extend himself once again before sharing greetings and firm handshakes.
Rin’s mother took over the talking as Sae glared at the long haired man- once Shidou noticed he joined his boyfriend at gazing at the stylish man, ominously.
Once his mother had finished complimenting the other man in reciprocation to Aryu complimenting her and her youngest child, she started walking to the kitchen pulling their, still jaw dropped, father along with her. Aryu’s attention hopped over to the youngest family member as his smile widened. He practically leaped over to him- his long legs giving him a major advantage- and embraced him softly and greeted him by patting his hair and whispering to him, “Hello, my love.”
Rin’s face flustered until he was glowing with redness, painfully aware of his brother and the demon’s presence in the room. Meanwhile, his brother stood utterly bamboozled at this interaction. He couldn’t even be mad at this guy? He was nice to his parents and even bought a very expensive wine for them, he knew it was expensive since he’d seen Kaiser drinking it and that guys taste is EXPENSIVE. And the cherry on top is the blatant love he displays for his brother. He would love to make Shidou go insane on this guy and beat his handsome face purple but there was no justification other than “oh he hugged my little brother lovingly”.
His thoughts seemed to have clouded his vision since he didn’t notice the long man approach him until his hand was grabbed and he was broken out of his trance.
Aryu cupped Sae’s hand the same way you would hold a babies as he dramatically enunciated his next sentence, “It’s a pleasure to meet you! I love your outfit it looks wonderfully stylish. And your boyfriend!” His hands dropped Sae’s as he gripped the shoulders of the man next to him, “Your hair is very glam! It holds its position upwards without gel nor hairspray! Yet it is super soft and silky.”
For once, in possibly his whole life, Shidou was speechless. Rin’s boyfriend was odd. But was this the type of weird Sae had in mind when requesting a beat up? He grinned anyway, always ready to accept a compliment about his hair and was compiling a response before Aryu jumped back to Rin again.
”Oh! Love, you wore the outfit I made for you.” Aryu softly spoke holding both of Rin’s hands in his own. “You look beautiful and stylish as I expected.”
Sae’s eyes widened for what seemed like the fifteenth time in the past few minutes, “M-made… Like you designed it or you MADE it?”
Rin finally spoke up, having regained his usual nonchalance, “He made it himself, he wants to go into fashion.”
Shidou’s eyes lit up at this new piece of information and grinned once again, “So if I paid you, you could make an outfit for me?”
“Well of course, you’d get a discount for being so stylish.” Aryu said with a serious look in his face but playful tone of voice.
Sae just began walking with Shidou’s hand in his own as he spoke to the people present, “Come sit.”
Aryu took Rin’s hand in replication of Sae’s movements and followed the redhead.
They all sat round the table the family had ate the previous day. Sae and Rin at their usual spots, which were ever so slightly shifted to the left and right respectively, in order to accommodate their partners. Sae sat directly across his brother as usual. What he considered, an awkward silence took over the table. The others found it to be peaceful but Sae could not be at peace knowing the long haired man was holding his little brother’s hand under the table. Yeah he knew.
Shidou leaned across the table to address Aryu, “So you go to our school?”
Aryu blinked owlishly, hinting at his confusion, “Yes. We are in the same maths.”
Shidou’s eyes widened like he didn’t know this and it was new information, it was to him, before responding, “Wait you’re being for reals?”
“We’ve been in the same class since first year and we’re both on the third years group chat.” Aryu said with disdain in his voice- how could someone forget a guy as glam as Aryu?!
Now there was an awkward silence settling on the table, Sae just grimaced while Rin cringed, clutching Aryu’s hand tighter. Shidou still somehow found a way to fill the silence.
“Gimme your LINE ID.” The way Shidou said it was more akin to a command then a question but Aryu answered by handing him his unlocked phone- a bad move when handling a Shidou but Rin will tell him that later.
“Of course!” Aryu answered with enthusiasm but attempted to soften the earlier blow, “About the third year group chat, I wouldn’t suspect you to see me on there too much. I’m not very active on social media except my Instagram.”
“And prof Ego kicks me out the class like everyday for maths,” Shidou sighs, “What a dick.”
“Hmm… He does look quite. Unflattering.” Aryu said with a frown displayed on his face, which made Rin laugh at how emotive his boyfriend was towards this.
Sae felt his eyebrow twitch, he hasn’t seen his brother laugh in what felt like years (it has been years), it may be his fault but he feels an untouchable sadness he had never felt. But of course, his younger brother’s laugh is absolutely gorgeous, just like it had been in youth: only a little deeper and muffled due to his hand.
Rin was once again in his normal stance of nonchalance before saying, “Bachira said he saw Ego trip down some stairs. He thinks it was because of the crocs.”
Aryu fake throws up at the thought of the bowl cut man wearing crocs with a suit and attempts to compose himself. Ok so he’s a fashion addict it seems. How lukewarm. Sae thought. But I suppose Rin’s outfit doesn’t look too bad, but of course, that’s because it’s my little brother wearing it.
Shidou guffaws and slaps the table, finding the thought of Ego tripping down a staircase hilarious while Sae deadpans, as usual, but also because he’d only ever seen this Ego person while Rin was attending a virtual parents evening- Sae lurked in the background, wanting to know how Rin was doing academically and generally at school but not wanting to ask directly.
The tables noise calms down upon the entry of Rin and Sae’s parents as they bring in the mass amount of food prepared for the dinner.
They ate in mostly silence except the few conversations held with Aryu.
“So Aryu, what have you decided on doing in university? If you are going that is.” Rin’s dad spoke to the long haired boy.
“I will be attending a fashion design course. I actually hand made the outfit Rin is wearing! Isn’t it glam!?” Sae almost rolled his eyes at the amount of times Aryu has said a variant of the word glam.
Rin’s parents’ eyes widened in shock, it was a valid response. After all the outfit is delicate to touch but insulating for the weather while being stylish and suited to Rin’s taste. “Really!?” Rin’s mum said in surprise. “Do you take commissions?”
Rin smiled softly at the acceptance Aryu has received as he watched them talk animatedly.
“Yes I do! I have a website. But of course, for family and friends there is no need to use it. Just tell me the request and I’ll make a sketch, show you, mend it and start creating!”
Aryu looked giddy at the thought of creating an outfit for his boyfriend’s mother as they exchanged a back and forth.
Once the group had finished eating the siblings’ father took the dishes into the kitchen and cleaned them while the rest of them settled on a movie to watch, sitting on various seats in the living room. The living room had a sofa suited for five people along with an arm chair to the left of it, tilted slightly as to face the tv, beside it followed extra pillows just in case the tatami mats were to be put to use.
Sae and Shidou crushed themselves into the arm chair as usual- the arm chair had been Sae’s designated spot since childhood and he refused to sit anywhere else even now so Shidou compromised by nestling himself in. After Rin’s dad came back from washing dishes he seated himself on the far left of the sofa, closest to his eldest son on the arm chair. Rin’s mother sat beside him, close but not too close. Rin and Aryu sat on the other end of the sofa, on the right, with Aryu at the end and Rin to the left of him.
Rin had a blanket draped over the both of them- he had discarded his jacket earlier before eating as it was hot but started to feel cold once he sat in the living room- he sat positioned into Aryu’s side nuzzling into his chest, Rin had fell asleep early into the movie. Aryu had his hand softly stroking Rin’s back, which was slightly uncovered by the blanket. It was strangely domestic and something Sae never expected to see his brother doing. Well he’s 100 if not 200% sure his brother wouldn’t be acting so freely with his PDA if he were awake: seeing how much he cusses Shidou for it.
Sae smiled at the scene. As much as he didn’t like the idea of his brother growing up and dating people he came to accept it, he had been the one to push Rin away in the first place so he found there was no room to complain. So instead he watched in content for a few seconds before he shifted his focus to his own boyfriend, who was completely zoned into the movie.
Sae could get used to this.