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Surprising Your Older Sister by Revealing She Has a Brother Too
The date went as fantastically as it could for Hitori. He got to take his girlfriend out on a wonderful night on the town. Dinner, a walk through the park, a new art museum that just opened up, and now finally Hakuno was walking him home.
“I had a fantastic time.” Hakuno said with a shy smile. “It feels so proper getting actual dates like this… I never expected to be a sucker for these types of things.”
“I just really want to show you I am serious about all this.” Hitori replied. “I never expected to be able to date anyone, let alone… you.” He swallowed.
“Look, I'm sorry. I’ll start saying Bi it’s just saying you’re gay is so much easier.”
“Not that- okay a little that…” Hitori did fuss about that the first time she kissed him, for pretty obvious reasons. “...But really, I just mean that… I’m just Sumire’s alter. I’m not.. You know. Real.”
“Oh? You’re not real huh?” Hakuno said as they arrived near Hitori’s place. She gave the boy a smirk, and closed the distance between them. She pressed her lips against his, giving him a very soft kiss on the lips. Hitori closed his eyes and returned in kind. The two holding their lips together and giving a few soft pecks. Hitori couldn’t help but blush from all this.
“H-hey… isn’t it the guy's job to kiss the girl?” He said, scratching the back of his neck.
“We don’t have to be so hetronormative about that, just because this is a, for lack of a better term, straight relationship.” Hakuno said, making sure to pure airquotes on the last words. She made it very clear many times over that she was not a straight girl just because she happened to be in a relationship with a guy and she’d fight tooth and nail to prevent her queerness from being erased.
“I guess.” Hitori said, blushing some more. “But. Next time. I wanna initiate it.”
Hakuno couldn’t help but smile. “Well… If you want- I can come inside, and we can try some more…”
“H-huh?” Hitori said, his heart throbbed into his chest. “I… um… I’m not-”
“Hey hey.” Hakuno reached forward and held his hands. “It’s alright. I’m not pressuring, okay? Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable… I’ll be honest suggesting it scared the heck out of me too.” She gave a very warm smile.
“I mean. I do want to try that one day. Just… I need more time to figure out if- you know…”
“You don’t have to explain that to me. I think I worry about the same things. But yeah, this was a fantastic date and I look forward to having many more. With my boyfriend.” Hakuno said, before she blew a kiss and walked away.
Hitori let out a deep sigh. This was a rare moment when Sumire wasn’t there, likely to give him privacy. Which is a shame because he could really use someone to talk to about all this. So many thoughts buzzing in his head, some anxiety, some happiness, anticipation, worry, and a little bit of another feeling he isn’t truly ready to face right now. All in all, a perfect end to an early date.
He turned around to head back inside, but he then realized that the blinds moved when he did. “Oh…” He said, realizing that he would not be alone. He was sure Yumi was over at SUNRaiSE’s place today. Were they there instead? Was he going to have to come face to face with his older sister? He had done his best to avoid her whenever possible. Trying to hide his features and his sense of self. He made the choice to not tell her, for Sumire’s sake, afterall.
He didn’t want her to think she was crazy…
With increased anxiety he walked inside his house. “Hello?” He called in. And there she was. His and Sumire’s older sister, sitting in her wheelchair. And dammit, that giddy smile on her face was really nerve wracking right now. She was going to get all kinds of misunderstandings and assumptions about Sumire.
“Hey there! Welcome home! Have a- fun outing with Hakuno?” She continued to just grin. Hitori couldn’t help but scowl a little.
“I… did.” He said, trying to avoid the topic. He also tried to keep his voice a little closer to Sumire’s but it was difficult for him. “I uh- i’m pretty tired though.”
“Ooh, wait. Can we uh… talk?” Yumi said, reaching forward to grab Hitori’s arm. He flinched. “Oh! Sorry! I didn’t mean to be forceful I just uh- this is certainly an interesting style for you… And, I kind of wanted to know…. If um…”
“If…?” Hitori’s nerves were reaching new heights. What was she about to ask? He could tell she was looking at what he was wearing. A very masculine outfit. A buttoned up shirt with dress pants and a vest. While it may have been harder to see in passing, he was certain she now noticed that his chest was very much being bound.
“If…” Yumi took a moment to compose herself. “If this is what you meant by being straight?”
Hitori frowned. She had of course taken the most obvious conclusion and that Sumire simply was trans, or at least experimenting with gender. He really wanted to say yes and end the conversation but that would likely be annoying for Sumire to deal with. “It’s… a bit more complicated than that.”
“Okay- right. No. I get it. It’s not always so black and white huh?” Yumi said, fiddling with her hands while she squirmed in her wheelchair. Hitori could tell she was restraining herself from asking more questions. Pacing herself. “But um… What are your pronouns right now?”
Hitori’s heart thumped. Right now. Well. If she was prefacing it like that. “I’m… He/Him. At least right now.” He said while keeping his head turned. She had clearly now assumed it was a case of them being genderfluid. This would be an easier out if explaining the Plural thing was a bit hard to do.
“Alright. Do you have a name when you’re like this?”
“...Hitori.”
“Oh? You go by your last name?”
“I just find it easier to do. Less feminine you know?”
“Right. Yeah of course.” Yumi said, looking away. Hitori knew that it was obvious by how he was talking that there were some things he was keeping from her. The way her eyes were downcast, she didn’t want to pressure him. He had really wished Sumire was here for this but alas, he had to deal with this by himself. He could run away, and leave this conversation pinned. Sumire could easily clear up any misunderstanding surely, and yet…
“...Alright.” He said with a sigh. “I’ll do it.
“Huh?” Yumi asked looking up. “Do..what? Look. You don’t have to explain yourself okay? I didn’t mean to ambush you. You’re an adult. It’s really your business.”
“I know.” Hitori said with a long groan. “And honestly this sucks and I hate it and I would rather not do it but…” He sat on the couch, and folded his hands into his lap. “If I’m going to be out more, then I need to tell people who I am.”
Yumi smiled and rolled her wheelchair closer. “Hmm, out? What do you mean by that exactly?” It was a genuine question. Yumi wanted to know the deal with Hitori. Not out of any kind of judging concern, but because Sumire was always the type of person to tell her older sister anything. She clearly was confused by the secrecy on display.
“Well… This is going to be very hard to explain. I probably am going to fumble it a little. It’s hard for even me to believe some days…” His heart was racing. He always struggled to tell people this. “Me and Sumire… Are different people.”
“Oh!” Yumi said, cupping her mouth. “You have DID?”
Hitori’s eyes widened. Oh, she knew that word? That certainly made things a LOT faster to explain. He was so afraid he’d have to use the ‘split personality’ term which he personally hated… but it was the one most people knew. “Yes- I mean.” He coughed, clearing his throat. “I wasn’t expecting you to know the term. Most people assume it’s just… things from Movie’s and TV shows…”
“People assume the same thing about a lot of people.” Yumi countered. “I still hear some people thinking gay people don’t exist… But, I know you exist, Hitori.” She said with a very soft loving smile. “I’ve read about it before. Reading is what I do a lot these days after all. It’s rather interesting but, rather than explaining to me the condition. Why not tell me a little bit about yourself?
Hitori didn’t really know how to feel. He had prepared himself to have to explain in the most basic terms the state of their condition. The fact she was well enough versed with it and immediately accepted him threw him off guard. But now she was asking about him personally?? “Uh, wow. Sorry I need a moment to think. I wasn’t expecting that to be that easy…”
“I do have questions about it of course. But I kind of want to know who I’m speaking to. Your name being Hitori and you dating Hakuno are really the only things I do know about you.” She said, before looking at his outfit again. “Oh, and apparently the fact you dress very sharply.”
“Full body outfits mask my body type a little and make it easier to pass.” Hitori explained. “It’s not like I have the option to do hormones or surgery. So this is the best I have.”
“Oh? Why not- oh right.” Yumi said, pouting at herself. “Sorry no it’s, I can get that being awkward… Which, I guess means I should ask. Sumire knows about you, right?”
“Yes. More often than not, I'm kind of just there talking to her in her head. And often the reverse is true. She just so happened to be out at the moment to give me some privacy for my date. The fact she hasn’t returned yet is a bit annoying…”
“This does explain why you were acting so weird for a while.” Yumi said. “But again, tell me a bit about you. What are the things you like?”
Hitori sighed, almost successfully sidestepping the question. “I often struggle with that. Uuuh… I guess I like, fire… fire is nice.” He had an almost childish smile. “And, really to explain myself. I exist to help protect Sumire from things. I step out whenever she’s upset, and sometimes take more drastic measures so she doesn’t have to.
“....Oh.” Yumi said, concern written on her face. “Drastic measures? What do you mean by that…?”
Hitori turned his head. He may have spoken too much. “Don’t worry about it. Please..”
“...Was that you?”
“Huh?”
Yumi looked like she had pieced something together that had been concerning her for a while. “Was it you. Several nights ago… When Eito was here to kill me. Were you the one that…”
Hitori’s heart lurched. Did he explain Firebird? He couldn’t even fully explain them. It was easy enough to call them another Alter. And maybe even easier to lie entirely. But Firebird was born from him and Sumire’s shared desire for justice. He couldn’t fully refute responsibility.
“...It’s again, more complicated than that. But, I was there.” He said, looking down. Swallowing and about ready to take the brunt. “I- I was the driving force of that day. If you’re angry at anyone, you can blame me and-”
He felt a hand wrap around his shoulders, and next thing he knew, he was yanked forward into a tight hug. Pressed into his older sister in her chair.
“...You saved my life.”
“I… We did what we had to do.” He said, suddenly feeling a little sheepish about taking the credit for that. “There was another one that was technically fronting, it’s just… They’re kind of, made of me and Sumire’s shared anger.” He could hear her hiccuping. She was crying.
“I don’t really know what most of that means but. You all… You, Sumire… I guess Firebird too I guess. It was you all. It was you all the entire time. I- I can’t believe it… My siblings are heroes!” She cooed, smiling ear to ear. “Or.. wait.” She paused and let go of him. “Sorry- I know some don’t see themselves as siblings-”
“No it’s… fine.” Hitori said, trying to compose himself after that hug. Physical affection and him were still new friends and it takes time to get used to each other. “Sumire is my twin sister. Sorry I didn’t say that before.”
“Then, I have a brand new brother to love and cherish!” Yumi said, clapping her hands and smiling. “I still am so grateful for what you guys did for me… though, are you okay? I remember you all acting weird for a while after that. I thought it was just you being affected by what happened as well. But…” Her face fell. “As happy as I am to be saved, and… I’ll be honest, Eito being dead only brought me joy. Actually seeing his dead body when it happened was…” Her heart lurched thinking about it. “You all… I want to say you did the right thing, and I love you. And you’re all wonderful people. But are you okay?”
Hitori had a weak smile. And slowly shook his head. “If it helps, we sort of blacked out that memory… For the most part. That feeling of it happening is still there though. That’s what Firebird is sort of for. They hold all the painful memories of us doing what has to be done.”
Yumi’s hand reached forward and grabbed Hitori’s hand. “You’re very brave. And when Sumire comes back, tell her too… oh and, Firebird I guess too. If that’s a thing.”
Hitori chuckled. “I’ll do that. They have my memories, we share them…for the most part.”
“I was gonna ask about that actually. You share all of your memories? Minus some extra traumatic ones obviously.”
“Yeah- again for the most part.” Hitori continued. “Though sometimes, we don’t always…’check’ I guess? It’s like there are photos on your desk and you just choose not to look at them. You can at any point, but, sometimes you don’t want to because it’s a little awkward.”
“Mhmmm…. Liiiike. You and Hakuno kissing huh?” Yumi said with a smile.
“...You were waiting all night to get to that huh?” Hitori said with a pout. “Ugh, Sumire knows you ‘ship’ her with Hakuno. It's weird.”
“Hey. I don’t ‘ship’ them.” Yumi huffed. “That would be incredibly weird, alright? I just could feel Sumire was keeping a secret from me. And lately I saw you guys leaving the house wearing boy clothes. And lately you’ve been going on ‘outings’ with Hakuno.”
“Hmm.” Hitori paused, he didn’t really think too much about how weird it might be to people on the outside. “I guess that makes sense.”
“And.. She WAS the leader of her Pride club. I thought it was a little silly that a straight girl would lead that.”
“She was confused why they voted her leader too but I guess she was the founding member along with Hakuno… I do wish I came out more back then.”
“But yeah- I kind of just thought she wasn’t telling me something. And honestly, Hakuno was always such a nice girl. Not to mention I only figured myself out recently, so maybe I was putting myself in her shoes a bit more than I should. I never meant to seem creepy about it.”
“Hmm, well. I guess we haven’t been open about it. So it makes sense that you came to the wrong conclusion…” Hitori confessed.
“Which does bring me to my next question. You have different sexualities then? You like girls and Sumire uh… doesn’t?”
“Yeah. I’m uh.. Bi I think? I like girls, and I can imagine cute guys so I think so. I’ll have to figure that out. Sumire is straight. Or, okay I think she might be Aro and Demi or something but that’s for her to figure out.”
“Oh, yeah I can see it.” Yumi agreed. “It's nice to have a 3rd sibling to talk to about this. I can now share notes! But- right. What I was getting though is…Isn’t this going to be very awkward if you and Hakuno you know…. ‘Get serious.’”
“....Yeah.” He said, shifting a little awkwardly. “We’ve talked about this. Believe me. We’re all on the same page. We’re still trying to figure things out and uh, honestly can we just not talk about this now? It’s awkward enough to think about led alone speaking about it to my older sister…”
“Right- sorry. Talking about this with your big sis is weird I know. I guess I was kind of hoping to be the type of sister Sumire could come to about problems like this, you know?”
“Maybe it would be fine for you two to have girl talk sisterly bonding about this but i’m your brother, so it just really isn’t the same and just that much more awkward…”
“Yeah you probably need some guys to like, guy talk with right? Actually do you have any guy friends?”
“I can’t remember the last time i’ve even seen a man I wasn’t actively fighting…”
“Yeah- we should work on you getting some of those. I think you getting some friends of your own would be good. And what is your clothing situation? I’ve seen what Sumire typically comes home with and what’s in her closet. It’s uh…”
“It’s not great,” Hitori agreed. “This outfit is all I have but I'm not about to waste space in Sumire’s closet.”
“Well… As the older sister in charge of both of you. I hereby declare that you two need to share more. If she’s hogging closet space, I’m going to come in there and divide it myself if I have to. Also, how do you feel about the room decorations?”
“I mean…” Hitori wasn’t sure how to take that. It felt like a slight invasion of how their system worked on one hand. But, he did begin to realize that he had cornered himself into not taking up any space. “I uh… could use some posters…” He said, touching his fingers together. He had some bands he wanted to put up, metal bands.
“Then I expect you to put some up.” She said. “I never expected to be a big sis to more than Sumire, but I want you to feel comfortable in this home okay?”
“Thank you, Sumire…” Hitori couldn’t believe how happy he was from all this. “I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you… well… Everything.”
“It’s no problem. I know these things can be hard and it can be very scary. But, I am here for anything. Whether it's to vent about your day, to tell some big discovery you made about yourself, or…to hide a body.”
Hitori couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I uh- I hope I won’t need that last one.”
“Mhmm… Shion was telling me that her house caught up in flames. And her parents nearly died.”
Hitori looked away. “I uh-... That was…Firebird.”
Yumi rolled her eyes. “Mhmm… Don’t traumatize yourself okay? Please? You’re still young. You don’t need to hold the world's problems on your shoulders or have to take all the burdens.”
“Yeah-” Hitori said, looking down. “I kind of do though. If I don’t do this, I may just… vanish.”
“Huh? Oh. Oh?” Yumi was a bit confused. “Is that a thing that happens?”
“I’m certainly worried about it. If Sumire doesn’t need me, she might…stop thinking about me.”
“Well. What if you need you?”
“Huh?”
“You need you too right? You have a right to exist even if that is just, enjoying something only a man can. Even if that is being my little brother. Even if that’s being Hakuno’s boyfriend. Even if it's just to be you.”
Hitori couldn’t help but smile at this. “I won’t lie. Being Hakuno’s boyfriend certainly has helped my self esteem. I’m not sure if I'm ready to ‘exist without a purpose’... I uh… I like my job. It may be hard to explain. Maybe it even seems a bit limiting to you. But… Well. Being there to protect Sumire and those she loves is what gives me life. Even if I have other things now, it was what I was born from. Because I’ve slowly realized I'm not just defending the people close to her… I’m defending the people close to me too.”
“Thata’ boy.” Yumi smirked. “So yeah. I still don't fully understand it all. I read a few articles about it and a book where the main character experienced it. I may make wrong assumptions, or say the wrong thing or use the wrong terms, and if that happens, correct me okay?”
“...Alright.”
“And…” Yumi reached forward to hold his hand again. “If you ever want to talk. I’m here.”
“...Thanks.” Hitori let out a long sigh. “I think I'm rather tired. The date was exhausting and I really wasn’t expecting you back… Uh. Why are you here actually?”
“Oh, me and Asuka actually came back here to watch movies but she fell asleep halfway through. I should go and check on her. And oh, make sure to text your girlfriend.” She said with a cute smile. “Girls like it when their partner checks in on them.”
“I’ll note that… thank you.” He said, trying to hide his smile. It was nice, having an older sister to talk to about these things.
—
Hakuno: Home Safely. Is everything alright with you?
Hakuno: …Hello? Did you already go to sleep? I guess it is pretty late.
Hakuno: I do hope you liked the date though and I’m sorry if I made things awkward at the end.
Hakuno: You’re a really nice guy and I like you for you don’t think that i’m only after *that*...
Hakuno: Because like, I don’t even really want it so if it’s not your thing that’s totally fine.
Hakuno: But like, you’re also hot and sweet and if that is your bag one day totes you know?
Hakuno: Oh my god I'm making things worse, I'm sorry. It’s fine if you wanna break up with me.
Hakuno: Except don’t please I can change.
Sumire/Hitori: (Hi) Oh my god. Hakuno! It’s fine! I had fun. The date was wonderful. I was just talking to my sister.
Hakuno: Oh? What did you and Sumire talk about?
Sumire/Hitori: (Hi) Wait- no… other sister..
Hakuno: OH! You and Yumi talked?? Oh my god. How did it go??
Sumire/Hitori: (Hi) It went.. Okay. Awkward as hell at some points. But, it was okay. Explained who I was and who I am. And now I can talk to her whenever.
Sumire/Hitori: (Hi) I think she wants to have me and Sumire share the room more.
Hakuno: Boy, I've been saying that FOREVER. Like, I love Sumire SO much she’s like, my best friend in the entire world and I would literally die for her (not even joking in the slightest I had plans if things went south with Gaius), but… yeah. I think you need to take up more space.
Sumire/Hitori: (Hi) If it helps she’s offered many times. I just never wanted it.
Hakuno: That doesn’t HELP so much as make me worry about you.
Sumire/Hitori: (Hi) Coming from my girlfriend who said she’d die for my sister?
Hakuno: Omg don’t take that the wrong way! I have two hands and love you both but one hand has a wedding ring and the other has a bestie ring don’t worry.
Sumire/Hitori: ????
Hakuno: ….Ignore the wedding ring part.
Sumire/Hitori: (Hi) I… Wow okay. Sorry I felt my heart stop for a second. I thought you were proposing.
Hakuno: Over TEXT?? LOL No. I’ll do that in person one day.
Sumire/Hitori: (Hi) I mean… not if I propose first.
Hakuno: kladfsjlkadls
Sumire/Hitori: (Hi) ….And with that i’m going to bed. Goodnight. I love you.
Hakuno: Love you too <3
Hitori laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been a much more productive day then he had expected. He always was afraid of being out more then he needed to be. He always felt like a burden. But days like today, really reminded him how much joy life can bring. He closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep. His sister probably would be taking over the next day, but he knew that he had people waiting for him when he wanted to come back out.