Disclaimer: Nope, don't own marimite or any of its characters.
Just that simple
The thing that Yuuki can't get over is just how well everybody is taking this.
He tells his friends over lunch; about a month after Kashiwagi first asks him out.
"Ah, you're going out with Kashiwagi sempai?" Kobayashi says, "Weren't you two going out in high school?"
Yuuki stares at his friend. "No. No we were not going out in high school! He just asked me out a few weeks ago!"
"Oh really? My mistake. Congratulations," Kobayashi takes a bite of his hamburger and seems to think the subject is closed.
"Kashiwagi sempai, huh? Oh, oh, does he let you drive his car?" asks Fujita eagerly.
It takes a moment before Yuuki manages to clear his throat and reply.
"Well, I haven't driven it yet, but he said I could use it whenever I liked."
"Aw, lucky!" sighs Fujita, "Man, I wish I had –"
Yuuki is hanging with bated breath to hear the end of that sentence, but Fujita breaks off as the waitress comes over with his meal.
"Finally! I'm starving!" he exclaims, and dives into his pie without further ado.
Yuuki turns to Akaiake, who's sitting there, sipping his drink.
"Akaiake," he says, "What do you think?"
The tall boy considers for a moment, brow furrowed deeply. At last he looks Yuuki in the eye and speaks.
"I think they messed up my order. This is green melon soda. I ordered Sprite. Back in a sec, guys." He gets up and wanders over to the counter, drink in hand.
Yuuki sits and stares at his hamburger and thinks that this isn't quite what he had expected.
/
Yumi looks at him for a long moment after he tells her. Then she smiles, just a little.
"Congratulations, Yuuki," she turns back to her book as if to keep reading and Yuuki can't help exclaiming, "Is that all you have to say?"
She puts down the novel and purses her lips in thought.
"Yeah, I guess so. Oh no, wait," Yuuki braces himself, for what, he isn't quite sure, "Tell him that if he hurts my little brother, Sachiko and I will kick his ass."
That's what he was bracing himself for!
"Huh?"
Yumi giggles and picks up her book.
"That's all," she says.
Yuuki doesn't leave her room. He slumps down to sit on the floor, leaning against her bed, and just stays there silently for a while. Yumi keeps reading her book, but after a few minutes, one hand strays down to affectionately ruffle her twin brother's hair.
Yuuki can't help sighing, just a little.
/
He comes back into the house after saying goodbye to sempai – "Do not kiss me, Suguru, I mean it! The neighbours are watching!" – and the first thing his mother says is, "What a polite young man he is, and so handsome!"
Yuuki's mouth falls open.
His father nods in agreement, and murmurs as he brushes past his son to pick up the evening newspaper, "That was a nice car he had, Corvette wasn't it? What does his father do again?"
This is ridiculous. His parents were smiling and friendly throughout dinner; he and Kashiwagi's first meal as a couple with his parents. Knowing what kind of people his parents were, Yuuki expected them to put on a good front before guests, even if the guest was their only son's newly-introduced boyfriend, but he had come back into the house steeled for some kind of confrontation. Instead, he looks up to meet his father's mildly enquiring gaze, and feels as if a rug has been yanked out from under him.
With a jolt, Yuuki replies, "His father's the CEO of Kashiwagi Construction and Industrial Planning."
Mr. Fukuzawa settles down onto the couch and begins comfortably flipping through the entertainment section.
"Good, good. Connections help you move up in the world, son."
Yuuki's mother brings in hot tea on a tray and sets it on the coffee table before exclaiming indignantly, "Darling, what a dreadful thing to say! As if Yuuki's thinking about that!"
"Sorry dear, I meant I'm relieved that he'll have the means to provide for our son after we're gone," Mr. Fukuzawa hastily says, casting an apologetic glance at their son, who is oddly silent.
Yuuki's pinching himself on the arm, repeatedly, and hard. The skin is turning red and he can feel it stinging, but he's still not waking up.
The last straw is when his mother sits beside his father on the couch, smiles up at him and says, "He's a keeper, Yuuki. Definitely a keeper."
Yuuki smiles weakly back at her and slumps down into the nearest chair.
"You really think so?"
She nods vigorously. "Of course! He's so intelligent and polite and handsome, and well-off – he's a real catch!"
Yuuki chokes on nothing and promptly follows it up with a fit of coughing. Thumping himself in the chest a few times, he clears his throat and decides to put an end to the pleasantries.
"So, Mum, Dad," his father looks up vaguely over the top of the newspaper, "You've got absolutely no problems with the fact that Kashiwagi's a guy, and me, your only son, is – is," he can't even finish the sentence.
"Gay?" his father supplies helpfully.
"Yes!" Yuuki bursts out, looking desperately from one parent to another. His mother and father look at him blankly.
"Problem? I don't understand," his mother says.
His father scratches his head. "Is this a trick question?" he asks.
Yuuki stares at them for a long moment, then reaches out, picks up a cup of hot tea and dips his finger into it. A second later he pulls it out with a yelp of pain and his parents are eyeing him like he's grown a second head.
"Yuuki! What on earth are you doing?" His mother exclaims, hurriedly snatching the cup away from him.
He hasn't woken up. This is really happening.
"Sorry mum, it's nothing." He gets up and bows a little formally. "Thank you for tonight, I really appreciated it. I think I better go do some work on my research essay."
"Good night, son," his father says, "And tell Kashiwagi-kun he's welcome here anytime."
"Yes, of course," his mother smiles warmly, "You should ask him what his favourite dishes are, so I can make them for him next time!"
"Uh, ok Mum."
Yuuki can't believe how well everyone is taking this.
/
Kashiwagi answers the phone in two rings. At the sound of his sleepy voice, Yuuki feels horribly guilty and regrets calling him so late. Kashiwagi is in his third year of university and undertaking an internship at his father's company, so he's pretty busy, and stressed. Sometimes Yuuki wonders how he can possibly afford to juggle a relationship in amongst it all.
"Yuuki? What's wrong?"
Yuuki opens his mouth, and has no idea what to say.
"Um, I just wanted to tell you – " He flounders. Why was he calling again? What was the strange sense of urgency that compelled him to get on the phone at this time of the night?
Kashiwagi speaks again, sounding more alert.
"Are you ok? Did something happen?"
"No, nothing's happened, I'm fine. I just wanted to say – "
What? What did I want to say?
"Say what?"
"Um, that my parents really liked you," Yuuki finishes lamely. There is a husky chuckle on the other end that turns halfway into a yawn.
"Well, that's good news, isn't it? I liked them too."
"Yeah, yeah, that's good. Um, that you liked them too."
There is a pause, before Kashiwagi asks gently, "Are you sure there wasn't something else, Yuuki?"
Yuuki mentally kicks himself again for calling so late and shakes his head automatically. "No, no, I just wanted to let you know that for some reason. Sorry for calling so late, I'll let you go back to sleep."
He hears another chuckle before Kashiwagi says, "Ok then, I'll see you tomorrow for lunch, ok?"
"Yeah, ok. See you then."
"Good night, Yuuki."
"Good night, Suguru."
He snaps his phone shut without waiting to hear sempai hang up and flops back onto his bed. The tension he could feel building up all evening is still there, and he has no idea why. It takes him ages to fall asleep, and when he does, he dreams.
/
There's a shadowy figure standing in front of him. Mist from an unknown source is swirling about them, and he can't see beyond a metre in any direction.
"What did you want to tell me, Yuuki?" The figure speaks from its invisible mouth, and it's a voice that sounds somehow familiar, but he just can't place it.
"Well, I – I just wanted to say that I'm, I'm dating Kashiwagi sempai," he stutters slightly over the words, but manages to get them all out in a rush. He feels horribly nervous for some reason, and his palms are clammy.
He hears a horrified gasp.
"You're what!"
"I'm going out with Kashiwagi sempai," he repeats in a small voice.
The figure seems to be clutching one hand to its chest.
"But isn't Kashiwagi a guy? You're going out with a guy? Are you crazy? Not only is that totally gross, but you'll never be accepted in society!"
Yuuki cringes as the voice continues, "How can you do this to your family? They must be so ashamed of you! People will point and stare; your future will be ruined!"
Yuuki opens his mouth, but no words come out.
"I'm right, you know I'm right," the figure says, coming closer. He still can't see the face, but it's a male form and shape.
"And even putting aside the gay, you're going out with Kashiwagi of all people! He's the ultimate rich playboy. You think he cares about you? Yeah, right." There's a snort of laughter. "He'll string you along for a few months, and then dump you when something prettier comes along; or, more likely, when his family puts some pressure on him. "
Yuuki reaches out and grabs hold of the figure. He tries to speak again, but no matter how hard he tries, there's nothing.
The figure sighs.
"But you already know all this, don't know?"
Yuuki hears a click, like a light switching on, and suddenly the mist has evaporated, and he is staring into the face of the mysterious figure. It is a face he knows well.
It is the same face he sees every time he looks in the mirror.
With a jerk, Yuuki wakes up and stares at his ceiling, just before his alarm clock starts beeping.
AN: This is part of a story I've had sitting on my laptop for ages and just haven't done anything with it. I hope you enjoyed it such as it is and I'd love to get any feedback. Again, I know I'm crazy putting a shounen-ai pairing in this fandom, but hey, worth a try, right?