Title: at home

Prompt: obi/zen/shirayuki

A/N: Written for the ANS Valentine exchange, for raediation–I swear you are my ANS fandom twin, giving me both the prompts of the two brothers and this ot3. I'm sorry for the slight delay, I'm trying to write the brothers and ahahahah, giving me so many difficulties. But this came out well!

Summary: the five times Obi had to be reminded he belonged and the one time he didn't

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i.

"Hey! Zen! Obi!"

His mistress's voice was faint, the wind plucking away most of it. As he and Zen trotted up the path to the castle, Obi scanned the upper ramparts for Shirayuki. The sun was ahead of them and he shaded his eyes with a hand, searching for a flash of red amongst the golden rays. Spotting her, he waved. "Mistress!"

Zen followed his line of sight and smiled. "How did you even find her?" he asked, waving as well.

"It's a special skill," Obi answered seriously, watching as his mistress disappeared into the castle. It was easy to guess where she was going and once they passed through the castle gates, he turned his attention to the side door closest to her position.

"A shady skill, more like," Zen muttered, shaking his head, but the smile hadn't dropped from his face. "Now what are you looking at?"

He slowed his horse to a slow trot, gesturing for Zen to do the same. "Count to five."

"To five." Zen furrowed his brow. He slowed his horse nonetheless, looping the reins around a hand. "And?"

"Four." Obi counted in his stead, ignoring the question. "Three. Two. One."

The door burst open and out popped Shirayuki, panting lightly. Her stamina hadn't improved at all. Zen looked at her, then at Obi, and raised a brow. "How do you keep doing that?"

"I told you, it's a secret skill." He grinned brightly, urging his horse toward his mistress.

"A shady skill!" Zen reiterated, rolling his eyes.

As Zen passed him, Obi chuckled. "How impatient you are, master." He slowed his horse even more, growing the gap between them. It had been over a month since they had been gone and while it couldn't be fully private, he wanted to give the pair at least a little alone time as they reunited.

Zen looked over his shoulder. "Hurry up, Obi."

At least, he had wanted to. It seemed his master had other ideas. Shrugging, Obi caught up just before they reached Shirayuki. She quickly patted down her hair, trying to tame any stray hairs before beaming up brightly at them. "Welcome home."

"Yeah." Zen slid off his horse. He reached out and pushed back a stray lock that she had missed. "I'm back."

"Master missed you," Obi teased as the pair stared at each other. He cupped his cheek with a hand, grinning broadly. "If you could hear the things he said—"

Zen's brow twitched and he shot him a glare. "Obi."

"Right, right. I'll keep it to myself for now." Glancing at the stables, he reached out and looped Zen's reins around his hand. There was still a way to give them some alone time. "I'll take them back."

"Obi," Zen repeated, his tone a little firmer.

Had his teasing gone too far? No, that couldn't be it, he hadn't said anything yet. Obi cocked his head, not sure what was happening. "Yes?"

Zen looked at him pointedly, crossing his arms. "That was addressed to you too."

"I know that you're back." Obi scratched his cheek, not sure what was the significance of that statement. Slipping on a sly smile, he added, "Miss me already?"

"Sometimes, you…" Zen sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Shirayuki squeezed Zen's arm before turning to Obi with a warm smile. "Welcome home, Obi."

"Oh." He blinked. Rubbing the back of his neck, he answered quietly, "I'm back."

ii.

"Obi," Zen called out as he stepped out onto the balcony. He closed the door to his room behind him.

Slipping down from the roof, Obi landed quietly next to him. "A little late, isn't it, master?" Above them the moon was hanging low and bright, carpeting everything in a faint, white glow. Considering the time, they'd have a hard time waking Zen up tomorrow.

Well, he'd just have to best Mitsuhide in a contest and have him do it.

Zen looked up at the roof and then down at him. "Do you even use your room? You're either up in a tree or sleeping in my bed."

"Oh, I see." Obi stroked his chin softly, nodding his head in understanding. "It is hard to bring back Shirayuki if the room's not empty."

Zen flushed a light red and somehow, despite the years, teasing him only got easier and easier. His master was ridiculously vulnerable, and Obi pitied him. Not enough to stop, though. It was far too entertaining.

"That's not what I…" Zen cleared his throat shaking his head. Behind him, in his room a single candle glowed brightly. It was not enough to illuminate his features and while Obi could see better than most, he couldn't do the impossible. "You can come when we're there too, you know."

"And ruin your private time?" Obi raised a brow, laughing. "Master, are you drunk?"

Zen crossed his arms. His voice was low, serious, and brokered no disagreements. "It wouldn't ruin it. The opposite in fact."

Obi didn't have to see him to know just what expression he was making. Really, he never knew how to react to either Zen nor Shirayuki sometimes, their words and actions always throwing him for a loop. As Zen stared at him expectantly, he nodded. "I'll consider it."

iii.

"Ohh." Obi laced his hands behind his head, whistling softly at the sight of the fair. Around them the village grounds burst into life. Children tugged on their parents' hands, lovers clung to one another, and sellers hawked their goods. A lively town. He'd have to find a bar later. "Very nice."

"What should we do first?" Zen asked, walking on his right. He tugged his cloak around him tighter, hiding his uniform under the grey fabric. Not that it would really disguise him from anyone who recognized his face, but he was trying.

"Maybe another competition? Like when I won mistress's hairpin." Obi grinned as he glanced to his left, where Shirayuki was walking. A loose hood covered her head, hiding all but a stray lock or two. It was a pity she had to cover her hair, he liked seeing the hairpin in her coiled hair, the decorative orb gleaming bright red in the sunlight. "It looked good on you."

A red tint coloured her cheeks as she tugged the edge of her hoodie. "Thank you."

Oops. He'd stolen Zen's thunder again. Before Zen could say anything, he quickly turned to him. "And your eyes are beautiful."

"Why do you always say that?" Zen gave him a dry look, crossing his arms.

"Because it's true." Obi laughed, turning to Shirayuki. He cocked his head, feeling mischievous. "Right?"

"He's right," Shirayuki chimed in. She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward, looking past Obi at Zen with a smile. "They're very pretty."

"That's not fair." Zen flushed, looking more like a tomato than a prince. He looked away, mumbling, "Tag-teaming me."

Honestly, by this point he shouldn't still be so weak to just words. Still, Obi liked that about him. "See, even mistress agrees."

"Learn a new compliment." Zen muttered, still averting his gaze.

"Master, did you want me to praise you that much?" Obi put on a serious expression, scrunching up his face thoughtfully. "Your hair gleams golden in the sun."

"Not now, idiot." If possible, Zen's skin took on a darker shade of red, though Obi wasn't sure if that was from anger or embarrassment.

Obi laughed. Glancing at his shadow, he bit his lip. It had been almost an hour now, a good time to slip away. Particularly since he was in between the pair—somehow, despite how he angled his walking, they both flanked him. "Well, I'll go get—"

"No." Shirayuki immediately grabbed his hand, her grip firm.

It was a surprisingly bold move from her and he could only stare at her, flabbergasted. "No?"

"No," Zen repeated on his other side, stepping a little closer. "You know, you always walk a little too far from us."

"I do?" Obi turned left and right as the pair were now a hair's breadth from him. There was no room to maneuver and slip away.

"You do," Shirayuki confirmed. "Now, what should we do next?"

iv.

The leaves were thick in the oak tree and therefore it was Obi's favourite guard position when Zen was in the garden. He laid back on a branch, resting his head on his interlaced hands. From here he could watch as his master and mistress strolled through the walkways. Softly, the wind rustled the leaves and their dappled shadow shook with them.

As always, it was endearing to watch the pair as they walked. Their hands were lightly clasped, a smile on their face as they caught up on the day's events. Further away, Kiki and Mitsuhide were stationed at other entrances and perhaps this time, no sudden messenger would come to interrupt the scene.

Suddenly, they stopped walking and looked back in his direction. No, not just in his direction—Zen made a come gesture and Obi sat up straight. The leaves were thick, there was no way he could spot him. After a few minutes, Zen tapped his foot impatiently and Obi slipped out of the tree before his master resorted to a more drastic measure.

How strange. This wasn't the first time it had happened and Obi had chalked up the previous times to coincidence. However, it was occurring more and more often, and he wasn't sure if they had finally figured out his habits or if he was just relaxing his guard around them.

Obi wasn't sure which answer scared him more.

v.

Obi was half way out of his shirt when there was a knock on the door. Strange. Considering that they'd returned an hour ago, he hadn't expected anyone to find him just yet. Pulling his shirt back down, he went to open the door.

On the other side, the sight of Shirayuki with a first aid kit greeted him. Adopting a teasing grin, he jabbed his thumb in the direction of the castle's interior. "I think you knocked on the wrong room."

"Huh?" She knitted her brow before understanding dawned on her face. Flushing a light red, she pushed past him and into his room. "I'm in the right one."

"Oh?" Obi trailed after her to his bed, where she put down the kit. Casting a furtive glance at the door, he whispered, "Should I keep this from master?"

Shirayuki frowned deeply, clearly not in the mood for jokes. With shake of her head, she opened her bag. "I need you to remove your shirt."

Obi stared at her. "Are you sure you're in the right room?"

"Obi!" Shirayuki glared at him and she had been spending too much time with Zen, her expression was starting to look like his. It didn't hurt that she had a pair of scissors in her hand, pointed dangerously at his shirt.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll stop." Obi held up his hand as a sign of surrender.

"Good." She gestured at his shirt. "Now, remove it. Where did you get hurt?"

His fingers played with the edge of the fabric. He was sure no one saw him slink in here; he'd taken the lesser used halls. As dark as his shirt was, it barely let any sign of blood seep through. "How did you know I was hurt?"

"Zen said he saw you grimace on the ride back. He sent me here." Shirayuki stared at him pointedly, tired of the delays. "The shirt. Off."

Giving up, he yanked off his shirt. There was a shallow cut on his side, a deeper one on his shoulder, but nothing too serious. The wounds had mostly clotted by now, the dried blood sticking to his skin. At her expression, he scratched the back of his ear sheepishly. "I was going to get this treated."

"Right." The look on her face was one of disbelief. "When?"

"…after everyone else?" Obi laughed awkwardly. Some habits were harder to change than others and while he was not a creature of habit, it was almost second nature for him to find a private place to bandage himself.

"Not good enough." Her tone was sharp as she pushed him into a sitting position on the bed. "You know, this only makes us worry more about you."

"Sorry." Obi watched as she cleaned the wound, her patient hands carefully wiping away the blood. No matter how many times she'd done this, each time felt novel. He had yet to get used to someone else taking care of him, let alone someone else wanting to do so.

Shirayuki kept her gaze fixed firmly on his wounds, dabbing at the cut on his shoulder with a cotton swab. Despite her anger, her hands remained gentle. "Say that to Zen too."

"Was he angry?" Obi could just imagine Zen's face and he bit his cheek. It would be another round of scolding, at the very least.

"Very." Shirayuki gave him a look. Her eyes bore into his, completely serious. "Don't do this again."

There was no room for disagreements. Obi looked away, unable to maintain eye contact. "I will."

vi.

"Hey." Obi landed softly on Zen's balcony, his hands in his pockets. There was just enough light to see, the sun setting slowly on the other side of the castle.

Zen and Shirayuki flinched from where they were leaning against the balcony, surprised. They stared at him, then at the roof, and then back at him. Running a hand through his hair, Zen shook his head with a laugh. "You really pick the strangest ways to come."

"I have to keep you on your toes, master." Obi grinned, slipping on Zen's other side. He waggled his brow. "Am I interrupting?"

"No," Shirayuki answered firmly, reaching over to grasp his hand. She squeezed tightly. "Not at all."

Really, this master-mistress pair. If anyone was being kept on their toes, it was him. Obi scratched his cheek. "I'll give you my report later but first…I'm home."

It was strange to say the words but the bright smiles on their face made up for it.