(A/N: I've finally published it. Believe or not, I started writing this chapter around a year and a half ago. I'm still somewhat unhappy with it, but it needs to go up. Honestly, there need to be more platonic/family fics between these two. I apologize if the characters seem OOC. I tried making them as in character as can be.)
Asano Gakushuu woke up today as he did many days past. He woke with a slight headache and his eyelids heavy. There was, however, an additional factor Gakushuu couldn't quite put his finger on. Now, Gakushuu had two options. He could either stay in bed and speculate as to what was wrong, or he could forget about it and not waste any of his precious time. Of course, Gakushuu chose the latter. It was just another nuisance he'd have to deal with for the day. If he ignored it, it wouldn't bother him as much.
Gakushuu sat up, picked up his phone, and blinked. Perfect, he thought sarcastically. He'd woken up not one, not two, but ten minutes late. This fact proceeded to irritate him further, but again, he ignored it. No use crying over spilled milk, right? He'd just have to make up for lost time.
Normally, at this time, he'd be working on and scrutinizing his homework, but Gakushuu decided against it. His schedule had been delayed, he didn't particularly want to do it, and it was nearly completed anyway. It could easily be done and reviewed the following day.
The young man instead got out of bed and made his way over to the bathroom. After dealing with the necessary tasks one does in the morning, he opened up his medicine cabinet and took out the painkillers. He popped a pill into his mouth and dry swallowed it. He thought about taking another but, after concentrating on his headache, opted not to. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze met the reflection of the shower. After thinking it over, Gakushuu headed over to take a quick, cold rinse. It'd help to wake him up a bit.
True to his word, Gakushuu had gotten out around five minutes later. He picked out his clothes and then ironed them. The boy would usually slip into them immediately, but he thought it best if he let the fan run and cool his attire a bit. It would shorten his time to eat breakfast, but to be honest, Gakushuu wasn't that hungry. He wasn't at all, actually. He was even considering skipping it.
It was awkward, eating at the table by himself. Sometimes, his father would be there, but the lack of conversation just added to the unpleasant atmosphere. However, it was not a guarantee he'd see the man. Gakuhou would be there some days, but most days, not. He did come to dinner without fail, though. Whether the two held a conversation then would rely entirely on the patriarch.
Gakushuu sighed. Even if he had to force himself, he had to eat. His health was far more important than his feelings. There was no point in being accomplished if one couldn't even take care of himself.
As he entered the dining room, Gakushuu noticed that his father was indeed there. Barely taking a glance toward him, the younger of the two stepped into the adjoining kitchen. He quickly scanned the countertops until he found the fruit of his desire. He strode toward the ample, red produce and picked one up. He brought it over to the sink and quickly rinsed it before taking a bite. He chose to eat it in the kitchen rather than the dining room as it made no difference—or, it did, just not for the reasons one would normally have.
"Ah, Asano-kun, a moment of your time?"
He was in mid-bite when his father called out. Gakushuu almost choked on the piece in surprise. Swallowing it, he perked his head in the direction of the dining room. He walked toward its entrance.
"Sir?"
"I never found the time to tell you this, but we're expecting someone later this afternoon. Around four o'clock, I believe."
The sentence gave Gakushuu pause for reasons he didn't know. It was like his father to announce a visitor was coming the day of. Still, he felt as though something was off.
"Oh? A guest? Is that all?" He started to turn around.
"Well, not quite. You see, he'll be living with us from now on," Gakuhou replied nonchalantly.
Eh?
This caught Gakushuu off guard, and rightfully so. He turned his head back and stared at his father with a quizzical look. Perhaps he'd heard wrong?
"E-excuse me?"
The man continued on, ignoring him.
"I don't believe the two of you have met. He's your cousin, a few days older than you, Akabane Karma. The guest room will become his bedroom, so if you could fit dusting and adjusting the area into your agenda, that would be perfect. However, I expect it to be done before he arrives."
Gakushuu felt his eyebrows knit together. Cousin‽ He had an extended family‽
Snapping out of his shock, the boy realized his father never did stop talking.
"A few days ago, the boy's parents were involved in a fatal car accident. Just yesterday, they, unfortunately, passed away. Tragic, yes, but it happens to everyone one day."
Hold on, hold on, what‽ He couldn't be serious! Gakushuu couldn't believe how straightforward his father could be. Really, he should be used to it by now, but stating the family members he never knew existed died, and in a matter-of-fact tone nonetheless, was a little—scratch that, far—too much. Did he expect his son to react in a similar manner‽
It didn't seem as though he expected him to react at all, however, as the man finished up what was left of his breakfast and proceeded to leave the room, leaving an unusually perplexed Gakushuu.
After a couple beats of silence, the strawberry blonde blinked out of his stupor. He needed to sit down.
He slowly walked toward the nearest chair and rested his elbows on the table, propping his head up in his hands. He stared the wood down with wide eyes and blinked a few times. His mind was spinning, and his current conditions didn't help. He felt like he should've felt emotions other than pure confusion, but he couldn't. His father may have reacted poorly, but… just how was he supposed to react?
As much of a mindscrew as it was, Gakushuu couldn't spend all day thinking about it. He still had other important tasks for the day to focus on with a bonus of cleaning the guestroom—now bedroom—for the new resident.
Sometime in the afternoon, Gakushuu arrived home from cram school. For the majority of his time there, he was unfocused. Nevertheless, it didn't matter if he didn't pay much attention. The current lessons were quite easy—for him, at the very least. It wasn't hard filling in the gaps.
Instead, Gakushuu had often found himself pondering the peculiarity of the situation he was put in. It wasn't any less incredulous than it had been. No amount of time would change that, it seemed. The news was life-changing after all, despite the casual way it had been delivered. How could he not get distracted?
Gakushuu reflected on how he should act around the newcomer. Should he put on his charitable persona? If he didn't, it could come back to bite him. Obviously, that was the way to go, but could he keep up with it on both in public and at home? Gakushuu liked to think he could. Regardless, it could be tiring at times. But not that tiring, he reasoned with himself. After a moment of muse, the strawberry blonde shook his head. It was silly not to. Why he was even arguing with himself, he'd no idea.
The young man took off his shoes and placed them near the entrance. He laid his schoolbag on a nearby side table and examined his watch. It read three o'clock, giving him roughly an hour before his relative would arrive.
Gakushuu headed on over to the guest room, preparing himself to clean it. It didn't take as long as he intended for it to, as, really, he was just dusting and looking for things to clean up. It was in pristine condition to start with, as it was rarely, if ever, used.
It was only after he was done with the guest room did Gakushuu realize his headache had gotten worse, albeit only by a bit. Perhaps he should have taken two pills. As of the moment, however, Gakushuu wasn't particularly interested in swallowing any more. Alternatively, the teenager thought it best to finish a book he was currently reading. He had spare time, after all.
He headed up the stairs. As he reached his room, his eyes began searching for the book. They quickly settled upon the piece of literature on one of his nightstands. Gakushuu picked it up and went looking for a place to read it.
He ended up in the study as it was the best option. It was ground level and close to the entrance, so he'd be able to hear the doorbell once it rang. And, despite being in a place he was stressed quite a bit in, he found it otherwise relaxing when he wasn't. It had a peaceful air to it. Not to mention, the temperature in the room fit his current needs perfectly. He sat on his desk chair and began reading.
Perhaps it was too relaxing.
Before long, the strawberry blonde's eyes started to droop, and he began to tilt here and there. At first, he kept catching himself and forced his eyes open, but the drowsiness wouldn't leave. At last, he figured a wink or two would be fine, and he began to doze off.
The sound of the doorbell made him jump. He stared at nothing in particular before blinking the rest of the sleep from his eyes. He brought his wrist before his eyes and saw that it indeed was four pm. There were a few more rings before he reached the front door which proved to grate on his nerves little by little. Honestly, the youth with its impatience, Gakushuu thought disdainfully. Due to this, he opened the door more harshly than one should, his eyebrows ever-so-slightly furrowed.
He was met with raised eyebrows and slightly widened golden orbs. Said features belonged to a redheaded teenager sporting a satchel and suitcase. His skin was of a slightly darker tone than his own, his hair somewhat disheveled. One of his hands was gripping the handlebar of his suitcase while the other was about to push the horrid doorbell for the umpteenth time.
Despite never seeing this man in his life, he had an aura of familiarity to him. The more the redhead was scrutinized by amethyst eyes, the more he seemed like someone the younger boy knew. Or maybe the guy reminded him of himself a little too much. After all, the two did resemble each other very much so. Of course, he wasn't as attractive as the prodigy himself, but Gakushuu digresses.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a sound he'd grown accustomed to in the last few minutes. The boy had pushed the doorbell again, causing Gakushuu's face to sour. The other now had a smirk plastered on his face paired with a mischievous glint in his now droopy eyes. Gakushuu's face scrunched up even more.
Forget being kind to this man was Gakushuu's first thought. He disregarded it. They hadn't even said a word to each other, but Gakushuu was already displeased with him. Despite this, he held out his hand to greet him. It'd be rude not to.
With his mood clearly reflected in his voice, the strawberry blonde introduced himself.
"Asano Gakushuu. And you must be…"
"Akabane Karma. Nice to meet you, too," the redhead finished, returning the gesture and shaking his hand.
Ignoring the latter statement, Gakushuu invited the boy, Karma, in, who made his way over to the couches. As Gakushuu was closing the door, a thought struck him. How should he address him?
Should he address him by name or surname? One would normally call his cousin by his name, right? Yes, he's older, but only by a few days, or so Gakushuu's been told. Then again, they're not close at all! They've just met, after all! And personally, Gakushuu's not sure if he ever wants to be.
Does he just refer to him as "Akabane", then? But that seems a little strange, doesn't it? They are cousins, possibly first ones. But then again, they're practically strangers. Even if he does settle on one, there are the honorifics. Should he add one? –-San seems a little too formal, but again, they just met, and –kun seems far too close for Gakushuu's liking. Should he add no honorific? But that would pass off as either rude or being close. Again, they're not close, so would it be rude, then? Why was he even this worried about referring to someone‽
"So, what? Are you gonna stare at the door all day?"
Gakushuu snapped back into reality. He turned around and saw Karma was sprawled on a couch, his expression amused. Making yourself at home already? Gakushuu thought annoyedly. He took a deep breath to calm himself.
So…what were they supposed to do now? An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them.
"Would…,"Gakushuu started, not liking it. "…you like some tea?"
Karma hummed. "Uh, no thanks."
So much for being polite. Gakushuu mentally shook his head at himself. He cleared his throat.
"Are you…hungry?"
The redhead contemplated for a bit.
"I guess?" He shrugged.
"Do you want anything specific", Gakushuu inquired, walking toward the dining room.
"A snack's fine," was his reply.
Way to be specific; the strawberry blonde bit back the remark. Honestly, though, why was he being more bitter than usual? Perhaps he needed a longer nap.
Gakushuu reached the kitchen and thought it best to search the pantry for a snack. He opened it up and started looking around. His eyes quickly found a pack of rice crackers. Would he want that? No matter. He should've been specific.
Just then, a face popped in the entrance, examining the room.
Gakushuu jumped a bit, just a bit, unnoticeable to the unobservant eye. Unfortunately for the blonde, Karma noticed.
"Oh, did I scare you~?"
Gakushuu wanted to so badly wipe the stupid smirk off the other, but he kept his aggression to himself. He took in another deep breath and raised the bag of crackers, avoiding the question.
"If you like, here's a bag of rice crackers." Gakushuu tossed it to him regardless of his answer.
Karma managed to catch the bag and stared at it a bit. He looked back up to face the pissed-off teenager before him.
"Hey, so can you show me my room? It's kinda boring around here."
"With pleasure," Gakushuu agreed, only to be rid of him. He led Karma to his room and, afterward, he quickly went to his own. He mentally reviewed the rest of his schedule and decided he had enough time to catch another nap. Maybe then he'd be more agreeable with the redhead. Maybe.
(A/N: Writing the last part of this made me cringe; it was so awkward. But I guess that's good since it'd realistically be awkward? Anyway, more about this fic. This fic doesn't really have a plot. Well, I mean, it does, but it doesn't really start until after I've established Gakushuu and Karma's relationship, and it's awfully loose. I don't really see any of the E Class being in here anytime soon, but I'm pretty sure, at the very least, Nagisa and Kayano will be in it. Eventually. Hopefully. I'll try uploading a chapter every Saturday with a 2,000+ word count, but, considering how long it took me to finish this chapter, no promises. I hope you liked it, and constructive criticism is much appreciated. ~Thorn)
