Ema fidgeted nervously as she stared at the phone in her hands, what if he didn't answer?
She lifted her chin stubbornly, if he didn't answer then she would call as many times as she needed to to get him to answer.
She dialed the number determinedly and when the rings inevitably turned to his voice mail she did not back down and pressed redial.
Over and over again she called until finally he answered.
"Ema." He spoke low and resigned and she refused to feel guilty over the fact.
"you're getting married?" She asked him but there was only silence on the other end.
"How did you find out?"
what she wanted to say was 'you got engaged and i had to find it out from a classmate' but she knew it wouldn't change anything so she took a deep breath before answering his question with a vague response that made her sound more like a spy from one of those movies that he liked so much and less like an eighteen year old girl.
She would not let on to the fact that she had only discovered it because one of the boys in her class had casually mentioned his mothers engagement and that would have meant nothing had she not known his mother was in a relationship with her father.
He gave a tired chuckle
"can't keep anything secret from you, ne?"
It had always been a joke about how she had always managed to find things out that she should have no business knowing but at the moment she felt no amusement.
"were you going to tell me?"
There was once again silence on the other and the she could hear him take a deep breath like he was preparing for war.
"well, you would have wanted some explanation when i told you to move in with your step brothers."
She tightened her grip on the phone.
She had grown up in this apartment, it was like her little haven and he knew that.
"you want me to move out?"
"un." he answered uncomfortably
He spent most of his life moving around the world finding new adventures that he never really understood her desire to just stay in one place.
It was so like him to break the news like this.
"you never do things by half do you?"
but the words did not come out teasingly like she had meant them too, they just came out tired.
"Ema y-"
She hung up on him before he could say anything more.
She was never good at sudden changes and she had called her father expecting him to say that he had broken up with that women weeks ago and some moaning about how fast she had moved on. She had never thought he was actually getting married. Her father, while a good man had jumped from woman to woman all through her life. She had used to joke that he left a broken heart in each place he visited.
She slowly walked backwards until her back hit the wall and then she slid down numbly until she rested with her knee's brought up to her chest and tilted her head back against the wall, she would not cry, it was just a apartment; But it was her apartment.
She did not get to have her pity party for long before she felt a tiny furry body jump on the top of her knee.
"Chii?"
She glanced down at the squirrel before shaking her head.
"Just for tonight" she told him "Let me cry. Just for tonight."
after tonight she would find out more about her soon-to-be family and where she was moving too but right now she needed a good cry.
He jumped on her crossed arms and began nuzzling her chest comfortingly.
"just for tonight" He agreed softly.
She let out a loud sob and curled in on herself, most likely squishing the squirrel but he said nothing and she was all the more thankful for it as she cried her heart out, alone in dark apartment with only a Juli there to comfort her.
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"You dont have to go, you know" Juli pointed out as she tugged on her coat.
She glanced over at him idly,
"of course i do."
He crawled his way up her and settled down on her shoulder
"i don't see why" he growled, thinking about the filthy men just waiting to get a chance to jump his chii-chan.
Ema giggled as if she knew what he was thinking before looking around the place one last time.
She smiled as she thought of the very few happy memories she had here, but the few she did have were enough for her consider it precious to her.
"What do you know about theses males anyways?" Juli muttered to her sullenly knocking her out of her thoughts.
She absently petted his head while she closed the door
"not much, he sent me the address but that was about it."
"i don't like this, going in there blind! we need to know the enemy!" He puffed himself up as he began to think of all the evil scemes that had no doubt begun to fill the filthy dogs heads.
"not on my watch" then he began to mutter something about preemptive strikes and she shook her head fondly at her little protector.
"Juli, remember, this is just a trial run, if things don't work out..." She didn't bother finishing the sentence, they both knew she had enough in her savings to rent a small apartment.
"i don't see why we cant just get your own apartment right now" He said.
"they will be family soon, i have to give them a chance" she pointed out.
"Family," he scoffed "nothing more than hot blooded males".
Ema chuckled at him fondly and turned the street corner.
"there it is."
"how many son's does she have?" He asked, plans forming in his mind as he stared at the building that would soon be their home.
"thirteen".
She bit her lip to keep a smile from forming as the silence stretched on.
"th-th-thirteen!" He began to hyperventilate
"i thought there would only be two or three- four at the most!" He wailed dramatically.
"im sure you will have no trouble protecting me, even against such unfair odds" she reassured him.
his mood did a one-eighty.
He puffed out his tiny chest and lifted his fluffy tail proudly.
"of course, i could protect you from fift- NO, A HUNDRED HOT BLOODED MALES! thirteen is nothing." he bragged and she stifled her laughter.
"of course" she agreed.
"excuse me."
Ema turned around startled and quickly moved out of the way when she saw the man trying to carry what looked like the whole convenient store in his arms.
"please, let me help."
She examined what could only be one of her knew step-brothers curiously, even as she waved away his protest's.
"it's fine. I promise, i have nothing better to do."
He seemed to waver for a second before sighing
"if you could just help carry a few, that would be wonderful"
"Chii! what are you doing! How can i protect you if you welcome the danger!" Juli bemoaned and Ema rubbed his head soothingly, hoping to keep him silent- at least for a while.
She helped him shift some bags into her hands without letting all the others fall down.
"i live just up here" he started into the building and motioned for her to follow him.
"My name is Masaomi" he introduced himself to her when they finally got inside the elevator, giving her a bow.
Ema attempted to bow back only for the weight in her hands to tip her over and it was only some smooth maneuvering on her own part that kept her from falling on her face.
She blushed embarrassed
"I'm Ema, yoroshiku onegaishimasu."
He smiled at her gently.
"thank you again for this, i didn't know what i would have don't when i finally got to the door"
She shook her head rapidly almost knocking the fuming squirrel off of her head.
"Ieie" she said embarrassed and he chuckled at her.
The conversation was interrupted when the elevator doors opened.
"come on, its just this way."
She followed along, looking around curiously.
"we just moved here" He made small talk while knocking on the door.
"how are you liking it?" she asked to keep the conversation going but she never got an answer as it was only seconds later that the door was open.
The door opened and a handsome blond haired man stepped out with a pink apron over his clothing.
"did you get my-"
Whatever was about to be said was abruptly stopped as he finally saw Ema.
VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvV
So iv started brothers conflict and i have started to get very annoyed with the main character's personality and really the only thing that was going to make me happy was writing a fanfiction were she wasn't as naive, so here it is! i'm hoping to get the next chapter of this out before next weekend so wish me luck!