"Cousin?" Akihiko Usami, also known as Usagi, looked up from his laptop and narrowed his violet eyes. He gazed over at his young lover, waiting for his response.
Misaki Takahashi was busy making breakfast for himself and Usagi. He had a clean white green apron wrapped around his torso and had clipped some of his brunette hair back. He nodded absentmindedly, cracking an egg into the pan, "Yes. My cousin, Nori, grew up in the United States for most of his life. He's a year younger than I am and he's gotten into Mitsuhashi University this year. Nori is pretty excited about coming to Japan, from what Takahiro told me."
Usagi took a long sip of his coffee and peered at Misaki over his glasses. This was the first he'd heard of any cousin. Not even Takahiro had mentioned him before. Then again, if this cousin grew up in America, he and Misaki probably didn't know much about him. They never mentioned any visits or the like. Still, he wasn't sure how to go about the situation.
"Where will he be staying?" Usagi questioned, his fingers moving rhythmically against the keyboard.
"Takahiro offered him a place to stay for a while," Misaki replied, glancing up from his food, "Since I never moved in with him, they have an extra room available. I don't know how long he'll stay there. Living around children can be tough."
Usagi nodded and set the coffee mug aside, "Takahiro has always been hospitable that way. How much do you know about your cousin?"
"Just that Nori has grown up with just his father since he was fourteen," Misaki frowned and flipped the egg with his spatula, "His mother fell ill and passed away. I vaguely remember Takahiro telling me about it when I was fifteen. Of course, I had never met my aunt and uncle, but I could sympathize with the pain. So could Nii-chan. He seemed to take it harder than I did."
Talking about family death was always hard for Misaki. He and his brother had lost their parents when Misaki was only eight. They were in an accident that Misaki blamed himself for, no matter what anyone said. Normally, that kind of thing wasn't brought up. Usagi never pried and Misaki never talked about it. The sadness was plain in Misaki's green eyes, but he turned away and busied himself.
"Other than that, we have no idea what he will be like. He's arriving by plane today and Takahiro is going to pick him up. I just hope we can all get along. Nii-chan doesn't need any more stress in his life."
Usagi silently agreed and got back to his work. Though the idea of having another Takahashi around was rather daunting. It could create more drama and Usagi didn't need anything else in his life right now. He was still dealing with his own family issues. It could be nice to have someone for Misaki to talk to that wasn't trying to steal him away for once. If this cousin was reasonable, he could watch over Misaki when Usagi wasn't able to. The older hummed thoughtfully and pushed his glasses up as he mulled over the possibilities.
It was a huge culture shock to go from America to Japan. Nori Takahashi had grown up in a bilingual household, using both Japanese and English with his parents. He was fluent in both, so it wasn't that he couldn't understand anything. The sudden language switch was just disorienting. He stepped out of baggage claim with his suitcase by his side. His eldest cousin, Takahiro, was supposed to be waiting for him, according to what his father had told him. He'd seen multiple pictures of his cousins, both Takahiro and Misaki, but the airport was so large that it seemed impossible to find any one person. He inhaled and exhaled through his nose, pulling out his small, sleek black phone. It was a going away/graduation present from his father- the latest model of iPhone. He'd been given three different phone numbers that he could call: Takahiro's home phone, Takahiro's cell phone and his other cousin, Misaki's, phone number. These were all for his benefit, being in a foreign country and all.
His finger hovered over one of the phone numbers, but he was interrupted by a distant voice that carried his name.
"Nori! Nori-kun!" He looked up to see a taller man pushing through the crowd toward him. He opened his mouth to speak and was immediately embraced. It took him a moment to figure out what was going on, but he figured this had to be Takahiro.
His cousin looked exactly like his pictures, from the gentle smile to the business-casual way he dressed. Grey eyes regarded him warmly from behind thin rimmed glasses. His hair was dark black, with a blue-hued shade. Despite how he'd been running, it didn't have a hair out of place. Nori was a little envious of how well put together his cousin looked.
"I am so glad to finally meet you, Nori-kun," Takahiro smiled as he patted his cousin's head, "I'm Takahiro. I've been in contact with your father for a couple months now. He's happy to have you come to Japan to study. He thinks it'll be a good experience for you."
Nori shuffled his well-worn Converse sneakers against the floor and shrugged in a noncommittal way, "It seemed like a good idea, since I already know Japanese…"
Takahiro nodded vigorously, "It's very good too! I'm surprised, you don't sound American at all!"
Nori couldn't quite tell if that was a compliment or not, but his cousin didn't sound hostile or sarcastic. If anything, Takahiro's welcoming was much warmer than he ever expected. He cleared his throat and looked around, feeling sufficiently awkward. He didn't know this guy at all and even though Takahiro wasn't deterred by that, Nori was never good at small talk.
"Come, come! We'll head right over to my apartment. My wife is excited to meet you as well," Takahiro turned back the way he came and led Nori through the airport, "Mahiro has been asking all sorts of questions about you. He thinks you'll be his new playmate."
Nori nodded and let his eyes stray, taking in all the different conversations going on around him. Truthfully, all he wanted to do was lock himself in his room and sleep. Being in such a crowded environment made him feel anxious and exhausted him out. He was only vaguely listening to Takahiro, though it wasn't anything personal.
"Nori-kun? Are you alright?" His gaze snapped to his cousin, who was watching him with worried eyes. Nori realized he'd been biting down on his bottom lip until it bled and quickly covered his mouth, nodding.
"I-I'm fine, Takahiro. Just a little tired and stressed right now. Planes don't agree with me," That was a lie, but whatever.
"Of course! Here, let me take your bag," The item was gone in a flash and Takahiro placed it in the trunk of his car. He slammed it shut and walked around to the driver's seat. Nori slid into the passenger side and buckled his seatbelt without another word. The car ride was rather quiet, despite Takahiro's efforts to get to know his young cousin. Nori only provided vague answers that weren't very helpful. He seemed reluctant to talk, although he listened closely.
Takahiro could understand the boy's nerves. He wasn't going to force him to talk about things that he didn't want to. He was initially surprised when he spotted Nori in the airport. He looked like a child! Misaki was already pretty short, but he looked tall compared to Nori. It was impossible to believe that he was eighteen. He looked so young, his face still harboring traces of adolescence. Nori's hair was a few shades lighter than Misaki's, looking more like a caramel brown. He had wide eyes the color of sapphires. At first glance, Nori had a very innocent type of beauty that mostly existed in animals and children. He wasn't going to let his cousin's shy nature get to him, though. He'd continue to try and make the boy feel at home.
Their ride ended after thirty minutes and Takahiro pulled up in front of his apartment. He parked the car and hopped out. It had been a long day already, so he hoped things went smoothly during introductions. Nori was already out and waiting to retrieve his bag. They went up the stairs side by side and Takahiro again tried to worm information out of his cousin.
"Your father told you all about us, right? That Misaki doesn't live with me now that I'm married and all of that?"
"Of course. He didn't want me to go into this situation knowing nothing," Nori nodded.
Takahiro unlocked the door and went inside, smiling brightly, "Oh good! That was very smart of him." He removed his shoes before going in. Nori did the same, though it felt odd to do so. The Japanese custom hadn't been carried out in his household.
The apartment was nice and neat- surprisingly so. Didn't his cousin have a young son? The house was immaculate; it intimidated Nori. He'd never been one to keep his belongings in order, but he was afraid to make a mess in this house. Waiting for them was a young brunette woman. Like her husband, she had a warm smile.
"Hello! Welcome to our home, Nori-kun. I'm happy that you've come to stay with us. I'm Manami Kajiwara!" She was very pretty, in the standard way. But Nori could tell that she and Takahiro had a good relationship.
"Thank you for having me. I'm grateful for the chance to stay here while I study at Mitsuhashi," Nori told her, bowing slightly. He spoke in a very formal way, as though unsure of how he should act around her.
Takahiro smiled and gestured for him to follow. He led him down the small hallway and opened one of the doors, "Here is your room, Nori-kun. I hope you like it."
"It's great, thank you," Nori set his bag on the bed and looked around, "I appreciate this."
And with that, Nori Takahashi had left America and was ready to start his studies in Japan. As daunting as it was, he hoped it would be a fresh start for him.