"You're pathetic."
It took almost a minute for the words to register in Gene's head.
"Hey! Who are you calling pathetic?!" Gene retorted, looking around. But his brother had already left the room. "I'm not pathetic," he mumbled.
"Yes, you are!" a voice called from the adjacent room.
Gene jumped up from the kitchen table and sauntered through to the lounge where his brother was reading a book.
"How am I pathetic?"
Oliver rolled his eyes. Gene stuck his head between his brother and the book.
"How am I pathetic?" Gene whined again.
"You sat in the kitchen, staring at the door, for five minutes after he'd left. You were smiling like an idiot and practically drooling."
Oliver pushed his brother away.
"I don't see how smiling and staring at thin air is pathetic," Gene muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and slumping down next to his brother on the sofa.
"Why don't you just ask him out?"
"I can't do that! He might not even like men! Besides, I'll ask him out when you ask Mai out!"
"Now who is assuming that someone likes men," Oliver muttered. "But Mai said Yasuhara is bi and I see no reason she would lie about it."
"She did?" Gene perked up.
"Yes, that's what I just said."
Gene grinned. Oliver rolled his eyes.
"I don't know why you're looking so happy," Oliver began. "Just because he likes men, doesn't mean he'll drop his standards as far as—"
Gene punched Oliver on the arm and Oliver shut up.
"I'm in with a chance," Gene whispered. "I'm going to make dinner, for everyone."
Oliver sighed.
"He's gone to the library for the evening."
"Yes, but he'll be back and potentially hungry! And besides, everyone likes food. It'll make everyone happy."
Oliver, not wanting to directly refuse the offer of Gene cooking, did not argue. Gene pranched back into the kitchen and was soon heard chopping something up.
"When you said 'everyone', you did mean the girls too, right?" Oliver called through some time later.
"Yeah, girls count in the totalling up of people in the house," Gene replied.
"I was just checking in case your idea of 'everyone' only consisted of you and Yasuhara."
"Git."
"I'll text the girls and let them know," Oliver said. "They'll almost be done at badminton by now…"
"Both of the girls?" Gene asked, a delicate inflection in his voice indicating he already knew the answer.
"Why waste two messages when I can send one?"
"Then why don't you send it to the household chat?" Gene suggested. "Or were you dying to send a message just to Mai?"
"Fine, I'll message the group chat, and I'll be sure to mention that Yasuhara needn't hurry home for it," Oliver muttered.
"Git."
Oliver: Gene is cooking dinner for everyone, so if you want to think of an excuse to avoid it, you have until you get home.
Oliver heard Gene's phone go off and a moment later—
"Oi! My cooking is just fine thank you very much!"
Masako: Awesome, when's it going to be ready? We've just finished.
Gene: In about twenty minutes, I've just put the pasta on!
Masako: Great!
Dinner was a dull affair. Gene spent half of the meal staring at the door, waiting for Yasuhara to return. He spent the other half glaring at his twin for not taking this — quite frankly excellent — opportunity to flirt with Mai.
Oliver just ate his food and washed up his plate, then returned to the living room to read. The girls were too involved in their own conversations to notice anything strange.
Once Gene had put away the leftovers, leaving one tub with Yasuhara's name on it, and washed up, he joined his brother in the living room.
"I've had an idea."
Oliver did not look up from his book as he asked, "Does this idea involve me?"
"Uh, no, it would be weird if it did."
"Great."
"Do you want to know what it is?"
"I feel like you're going to tell me regardless of my answer."
Gene pouted indignantly at this.
"I need to let him know I'm interested right? Because unlike you, I want something to happen."
Oliver sighed.
"Was that supposed to provoke a reaction in me?"
"I just gave you the perfect opportunity and you did nothing."
"Mai and Masako were talking, it would have been rude to interrupt."
"You can join a conversation," Gene pointed out.
"About badminton? I have nothing to input on the subject."
"Anyway, back to the point."
"You're going to confess to Yasuhara," Oliver surmised.
"What?! No! That's ludicrous!"
"But you said—"
"I need to tell him I'm interested! But I can't come out right and say it! What if he's not interested back?" Gene shook his head at his brother's ludicrous suggestion.
"Then you get over it?"
"Would you just get over it if Mai told you she didn't like you?" Gene asked.
Oliver shrugged.
"I have no desire to pursue a relationship so I don't see that scenario occurring."
"What?" When Oliver did not react, Gene went on, "You're not going to ask her out?"
"No."
"What if she asked you out?"
"She wouldn't."
"Why not? She likes you!"
"As a friend, at best."
"But—"
"Weren't you telling me your plan to win over Yasuhara?" Oliver asked, redirecting his brother.
"Yes, but—"
"Drop it."
"Fine, but I don't like it." Gene sighed, frowning at his brother. "I read an article after I finished the washing up about how to let someone else know you like them."
"You went to the internet for relationship advice?"
"Well, what would you advise?" Gene retorted.
"Ask Lin."
"What?"
"Ask Lin, he's in a stable relationship and has experience of these matters."
"Is that what you did? And he told you to not pursue things?" Gene asked.
"He told me that I was under no obligation to act on feelings if I didn't want to," Oliver muttered pointedly. "What did this article tell you to do?"
"It had all the usual crap about body language and listening to them but I think I do that anyway. There was a load of other suggestions though, like making a mixtape for—"
"You're going to make Yasuhara a mixtape?" Oliver asked, finally looking up from his book. "You're aware that no one uses cassettes any more right? And his laptop doesn't even have a CD drive…?"
"What? How do you know that?"
"He asked for help in downloading some software," Oliver said, his eyes returning to his book.
"And he asked you?" Gene sounded almost offended.
"Yes."
Gene pouted.
"Fine. Well, I'm going to bed."
"Are you going to sulk because he didn't ask you?"
"No," Gene muttered petulantly.
"Of course."
Gene stalked out of the living room and up to his bedroom. He plugged in his phone, which was in desperate need of charging, and collapsed onto his bed.
"Idiot scientist."
He closed his eyes and groaned.
"I'm going for a shower."
As he stood up, an idea hit him.
Gene: Hey Yasuhara, I made dinner for everyone tonight but as you weren't back, I put your portion in the fridge. It's got your name on it, so if you want it, it's all yours!
He sent the message, put his phone back beside his bed, and headed for the bathroom. Twenty minutes of steaming hot water later, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel. After toweling his hair dry, he wrapped the towel around his waist and secured it.
After cleaning his teeth, Gene left the bathroom to find Yasuhara waiting outside. He gulped and grabbed his towel, fearful of it falling down.
"Eugh, finally, I can do my teeth," Yasuhara muttered, not looking at Gene.
"Oh, sorry," Gene mumbled. "Did you know brushing your teeth is the only time you clean your skeleton?"
Yasuhara looked up, blinked and then burst out laughing. Gene stared, slightly concerned.
"Thanks, I needed to hear that," Yasuhara managed to say between chuckles.
"Rough day?"
"Rough evening," he corrected, then sighed. "You know I said I was going to the library? Well, that was a lie. I was going on a date with this really cute guy but… It didn't work out."
"Oh damn, that sucks," Gene said. "Want to talk about it?"
"Nah I should be used to it by now."
"What do you mean?"
"Lots of gay guys only want to date other gay men. Like I'm not into men enough for them? I don't know," Yasuhara sighed again, "This guy backed right off when I said I'd dated a girl before and back off even more when I clarified that I was bi. Sometimes I wonder about just lying and telling them I'm gay... Sorry, here I am ranting about my issues and you're in a towel."
"It's fine, I don't mind," Gene lied. He did mind, he was quite self conscious that some part of his anatomy might not behave if he stared at Yasuhara too long.
"Either way, I should let you get to bed, it's late. And tomorrow's Saturday, so you have that running thing in the morning, don't you?"
"Yeah, Parkrun, do you want to come?"
"I'm not much of a runner. Well, night."
Yasuhara stepped into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving Gene standing and gawking after him. When he recollected himself, Gene hurried into his room and locked the door behind him.
He finished drying off, hung his towel up and pulled on some boxers before falling onto his bed. His mind reeled with all the information he had just received.
First, he had proof from the man's lips that Yasuhara was definitely interested in men.
Second, some gay men were idiotic dickheads - who would turn Yasuhara down?!
Third, Yasuhara paid enough attention to his life that he knew Gene went running on a Saturday morning.
This last fact sent the butterflies in his stomach into a frenzy. Gene rolled over and giggled into his pillow. Then stopped and cursed himself. Yasuhara was upset about how bad his date went. Gene should not be happy about that fact.
But he was.
"I'm a bad person," he said into the pillow.