AN: Thank you to De Entertainer for your review, it is appreciated.
Natsume woke early on Saturday morning to the sound of his clumsy step mother moving about the kitchen. Scowling, he rolled over in his bed but no matter how he tried he couldn't get back to sleep.
After deciding he couldn't ignore his empty stomach much longer. He went downstairs for breakfast where he seen Aoi already happily munching on cereal.
"Hey Natsume," she waved at him enthusiastically before showing her empty bowl to a nervous woman, still crashing around the kitchen. "All finished Mama."
"Go finished getting dressed," the woman smiled gently as the little girl zoomed up the stairs. She noticed Natsume sit down in Aoi's vacated chair and quickly avoided his eyes.
"Good morning Natsume," she said, trying to sound friendly but all that came out was the same nervous tone she always used.
"Nobara," he practically grunted, showing his usual level of respect for his step mother.
"I'm taking Aoi to my mother's house for the weekend," she said conversationally, "We'll be back Sunday afternoon."
"Where's my father?" Natsume interrupted her hurtfully.
"H-he's already at Noda's, I'm not sure what his plans are," she replied.
"Hn," Natsume responded before attacking a bowl of cereal.
Nobara wondered if he was ever going to accept her.
Tsubasa showed up at the house at around noon with a very sick looking Tono.
"That must be one hell of a hangover man," Tsubasa chuckled sympathetically. "Are you going to be alright for tonight?"
"I'm fine, you'll see in an hour I'll look better than you," Tono insisted.
Natsume snorted, Tono was a hangover veteran. Sure enough after his shot of wheatgrass and a plate of scrambled eggs and toast he was looking a lot better.
"See I told you," Tono said, chugging on a gatorade, "I know what I'm doing."
"Just don't go too heavy tonight," Tsubasa warned.
Tono looked at him as if he was crazy, "I'm not going to be spending my night drinking," he said, winking at his best friend.
Tsubasa rolled his eyes in response, "Whatever let's just get this place ready. Wanna come with us to the store?" he half-heartedly asked Natsume, already knowing his answer.
Sure enough his surly step brother just ignored him and went upstairs, presumably to his room.
Tsubasa sighed before quickly recovering, "Okay what should we pick up first?" he asked Tono.
"Booze!" Tono replied, lifting his gatorade in front of him so he looked like the Statue of Liberty, "let's go!"
"Get in the car old man," Tsubasa said, poking his friend before walking out the door.
"Who are you calling old man you brat? We're the same age!" he said offended.
"You move like an old man," Tsubasa continued teasing him.
After their trip to the liquor store and the 7/11, where Tono invited two more girls to their party, they arrived back home. Narumi was waiting out the front for them, smoking a cigarette. He had dressed up as a fireman. That is to say he was wearing nothing but a pair of black short shorts and suspenders with a pair of cowboy boots and a fireman's helmet.
"It's not a costume party," Tono laughed when he seen what his friend was wearing.
"Every party is a costume party," Narumi replied before passing Tono a cigarette. "Want one?" he asked Tsubasa, who turned it down as he usually did.
"Is Reo with you?" Tono asked before he inhaled deeply.
"No he said he'll come by later, Ruka asked for a ride though," the blonde said, still surprised at his brother's request. "He's inside, but Natsume refused to let me in the house. He's so cute when he's angry," he snorted condescendingly.
"Natsume?" Ruka said nervously. He had been trying to tell his best friend about what had happened to him yesterday but he was having a hard time getting the words out. "I have a girlfriend," he blurted out suddenly.
Natsume turned to face his friend, completely taken aback. So this was why Ruka had come over.
"Since when?" Natsume asked with an even tone, not wanting to offend his friend with a surprised one.
"Yesterday afternoon," the blonde smiled.
"You move fast," Natsume smirked, "who is it?"
"Hotaru," Ruka said, a sweet expression coming over his face.
"Imai?" Natsume said, unable to disguise his shock. Was his friend insane? "I didn't even know that you liked her," Natsume said, resuming his even tone.
"I didn't really either, I mean I always thought she was pretty," he blushed slightly, "but when she talked to me yesterday...I-I don't know, I just knew that I liked her."
"So you asked her out?" Natsume asked, trying to get his head around this shocking news.
"Not exactly, she came over my house yesterday...she had asked me if she could photograph me, for her photography class and uh, when we got to my room..."
"Wait, what?" Natsume stopped him, he couldn't believe what his friend was saying.
"Oh it's not like that, she just kissed me," Ruka said quickly, his face completely red, "I'm not my brother you know," he said softly.
Natsume felt horrible, he hadn't meant to imply anything like that. "I know you aren't," he said firmly but not aggressively, "so you were seduced by Imai huh?" he said changing the topic. "You know that doesn't automatically make her your girlfriend though Ruka," he pointed out.
"I know," Ruka replied quickly, "but my brother, he was trying to embarrass me about being with a girl and Hotaru...she stood up for me. She said she was my girlfriend and told him to go away."
Natsume scowled briefly, it sickened him how Ruka was mercilessly bullied by his whore of an older brother, but he couldn't help feeling a rush of gratitude when he heard Haotaru had stood up to him.
"So she tricked you into being her boyfriend eh," Natsume almost laughed, "typical Imai."
"I'm not complaining," Ruka smiled softly.
"Freeze," came a voice from behind the three friends. They turned around in recognition to see Reo pointing a small water pistol at them. He was dressed at a policeman much in the way that Narumi was dressed at a fireman. All he was wearing was a pair of blue short shorts which had a holster on the belt, presumably for his water pistol and a police badge hanging out of his front pocket. On his feet were a pair of docksiders and he wore a police hat. A pair of aviator shades completed the look.
"Hey lover," Narumi greeted the slightly younger boy, giving him a quick hug.
Tono rolled his eyes, "I don't know how people don't think you guys are gay," he smirked.
"People do," Reo said, lighting his own cigarette, "but we know we're not, and the ladies know we're not," he said smiling darkly.
"Those guys just don't know how to deal with sex personified," Narumi added arrogantly.
"Where were you all morning anyway?" Tsubasa asked Reo.
"Busy," he replied, winking roguishly.
"That's my boy," Narumi said proudly.
"Have anyone in mind for tonight Naru?" Reo asked lowly as the four started walking inside to move move the furniture out of the way.
"Nobody specifically," he started, "but..."
Tsubasa hurried into the house, he knew what kind of manipulative games Naru and Reo liked to play with girls and it made him uncomfortable. He knew they probably would have targeted Misaki long ago if he hadn't been friends with them. Not that she would have let them, he smiled sadly. His girl wasn't like that.
"You kissed Ruka-pyon?" Mikan was gobsmacked. She regained her composure before smiling at her best friend wickedly, "you know that means? you've violated our friendship, what happened to bros before hos?"
Hotaru rolled her eyes, "please you liked him when we were like ten, I think you lost all claim to him when you moved away."
Mikan smiled, "I was only teasing," she said needlessly, "seriously though I had no idea you liked anybody, let alone Ruka."
Hotaru smiled, "he's handsome and he's sweet, why wouldn't I like him Baka."
"This is so unfair," Mikan pouted, "how do you have a boyfriend and I don't?"
"Way to make this all about you," Hotaru said coldly but with amusement playing in her eyes.
"Oh sorry," Mikan said bashfully, "I'm happy for you Hotaru, seriously."
"Do you even like anybody you silly girl?" Hotaru asked as she started brushing Mikan's thick chestnut hair.
Mikan was about to say Tsubasa when her mind drifted over to Natsume and how they'd been spending their afternoon's together lately and how sweet he'd been. Mikan shook herself inwardly, of course she didn't like Natsume but yet she couldn't say Tsubasa's name.
"No," she answered, "nobody."
