"Dad?"
Kazuma turns to find Yuma standing in the kitchen entrance, rubbing his eyes and squinting from the light.
"What are you doing up so early?" Kazuma asks, glancing at the oven clock and seeing it's 4:42 in the morning, way too early for Yuma to be getting ready for school. "Did you have a nightmare?" Though time and therapy has lessen the intensity of Yuma's dreams, it's still common for Yuma to wake from them.
Yuma shakes his head and, after a second of hesitation, enters the kitchen and leans against the counter next to Kazuma. "No, I was just thinking, I guess." Yuma's hunched over, staring down at his hands. Kazuma can't remember the last time he saw his son so subdued.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kazuma presses, getting the feeling that if he doesn't, Yuma won't tell him what's on his mind. The coffee pot bubbles, and Kazuma turns to fill his mug with coffee. "Why don't we move over to the living room?"
Yuma nods and they leave the kitchen. Kazuma forgoes his usual chair for the couch, and he pats the cushion beside him. Yuma takes a seat. Kazuma takes a long drink of his mug, knowing he's going to need the caffeine to help him get through this. "So, Yuma. What's bothering you?"
It takes a minute before Yuma can come up with a response. He looks away, nibbling on his bottom lip and clenching his fists in his lap. "Is it okay to like more than one person?"
It's not what Kazuma was expecting. He and his son had the sexuality talk two years ago, and Kazuma already explained to Yuma that he could date anyone he wanted as long as everything they did together was consensual and Yuma felt safe. "What do you mean?"
"I think I'm in love with multiple people."
Kazuma takes another sip of his drink. "There's nothing wrong with that, Yuma. Do they like you back?"
Yuma shrugs and then sighs. "Yeah. I guess it would be easier if only one person liked me back, so that way I knew who to focus on, but…"
"You have feelings for all of them, so it's not that simple," Kazuma finishes and Yuma nods. Kazuma doesn't understand, not really. He's never been in this kind of position; he'd dated other people in the past, but by the time he met Marai, there was no one else in his life.
"I don't want to make a choice and hurt someone because of it." Yuma pulls his legs to his chest and rests his chin on his knees.
"Yuma, you don't have to make a choice right now. You're only sixteen, you have your whole life ahead of you. You don't have to get into a relationship with someone if you don't feel like you're ready too," Kazuma tries to explain, but Yuma is shaking his head.
"I am ready, I just…" Yuma stops, staring off into space. "Back during the invasion, I, I tried to run away. People were counting on me, and because I wasn't there for them, they died." Yuma shakes his head again when Kazuma opens his mouth. "I know, it was their choice to fight, but. I still can't help but feel that if I hadn't hesitated, if I had acted sooner, their deaths wouldn't have been necessary. I don't want to let everyone down again." Yuma sighs and drops his legs.
Kazuma doesn't know what to say, but he knows his son is looking to him for advice, so he tries again. "Yuma, this isn't going to be like that. You're not going to lose your friends if you decide to be with someone else other than them. Shark, Mihael, Fuya, Anna, Kotori and the others will be happy to see you're happy, no matter what you choose to be with." Yuma flushes when Kazuma guesses correctly who this is about.
"And, I'll let you in on a little secret," Kazuma looks around as though he doesn't want anyone to overhear him, catching Yuma's attention. "You don't have to pick just one person. You can date as many people as you'd like, as long as they know and are okay with it."
Yuma perks up at that. "So I can be with everyone I love?"
"Yes Yuma, as long as they know they aren't the only one you're with." Kazuma takes another drink, already feeling exhausted. "And yet again, you don't have to decide now. I have no doubt your friends will be upset if you don't feel like you're ready."
Yuma looks down at his lap, then back up to Kazuma. "Thanks, Dad. I think I'm going to go back to bed and think about this some more."
"Just don't worry yourself sick. And if you have any more questions, don't be scared to ask me."
Yuma gets up and leaves, a soft smile on his face and a spring in his step, as if a weight on his shoulders has been lifted. Kazuma finishes his coffee and moves back to the kitchen. It's time to start on breakfast for Marai and Akari before they go to work. Life goes on.
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