A/N: Hi there, you beautiful creature you. Shall we? Quick check?
Have you drank anything today? Water? Juice? Tea? Not bleach? Hot chocolate? Some days hot chocolate hits the spot. Glass of milk, maybe? Personally, I can't do that last one very well, but coconut milk usually does pretty good for me.
Have you eaten anything? Even the littlest thing can make the biggest difference.
Have you taken any medications you need to? Those are important to keep up on.
What kind of sleep have you gotten recently? You need a nap? Take one. This isn't going anywhere. If it's 2AM and you're up reading this, get your ass to bed. It'll be here in the morning.
Have you done any sort of significant movement today? Spoken to people in one way or another? You know…Little self care things. Sometimes, I need to be your mother. And this is one way I do that. Just want to make sure you're doing ok. I worry about you. So, if you answered no to any of the questions above, go take care of whichever one applies and then, you can come back. I'll wait…
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You back? Yeah. You back. Hi. How are you feeling? Better? Good. Now, fun fact, it is Sunday right now when I'm writing this. Why? Because I got invited to a last minute road trip and I'm hammering this shit out as quickly as I can. I've already finished a chapter for Thursday today and thought, let's give this Tuesday thing a shot. So, it's kind of like when I leave for Michigan, but I'm not going to Michigan. I don't really know where I'm going, but that's half the fun of a road trip, right? Now, why don't you make yourself comfortable and let's get to it, yeah?
Last night was fun. Then, it was not so fun. But then, the clock struck midnight and everything was ok. I had the man I loved and my friends that loved me. What more could I ask for? After a long night of excitement and partying, Kyoya and I were some of the first to turn in. No one was surprised. If there were a mom and dad of our group, it's totally us. Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing. There's something fulfilling about being able to take care of my friends. Even though they can get exhausting. Worth it.
When I woike up early that afternoon, I felt an extra body in the bed. It's not like our bed wasn't big enough, but I don't remember us having a plus one in our bed. But once I realized who it was, the world started to make more sense. Granted, my head was still kind of fuzzy, but better this one instead of some weirdo.
"Honey," I spoke softly, giving him a little nudge, "Wake up, sweetheart."
"Oh…" Honey let out a little yawn, his mouth forming a perfect O, "Good morning, Lana-chan."
"Are you ok?" I worried, pulling him into my chest.
"Uh-huh," he nodded, cuddling into me, "I had a nightmare last night and you said I could stay here."
"Did Kyoya say it was ok, too?" I wondered.
"Yeah," Honey shut his eyes again, "I think so. Kyo-chan might have been asleep when I asked."
Now that I think about it, I do remember Honey coming in with tears in his eyes. There wasn't a worse sight in the world than Honey crying. It tore my heart to ribbons. There's no way I could say no to that little face. So, I let it go, "Alright. Are you going back to sleep?"
"Thinking about it…"
"Who are you talking to, Lana?" Kyoya groaned, still half asleep on the other side of the bed. He rolled over to see our guest in my arms, "Honey-senpai, why are you in here?"
"Because," Honey explained himself, "I had a nightmare and Takashi had gone to town early this morning, so Lana-chan was the closest. I couldn't be by myself, Kyo-chan. And Lana-chan's nice to cuddle with."
"He's got you there," I pointed out, "I am pretty squishy, Kyoya."
"It's true," Kyoya agreed, "And I guess that's alright. You can stay."
"Yay…" Honey laid his head on my chest, ready to go back to sleep. I think Kyoya may be on the same wavelength.
Ring, ring.
"Dammit," Kyoya growled, "Lana, who is that?"
"Go back to sleep," I hushed him, kissing his cheek, "It's me."
"You're not calling yourself."
"It's a video call from my sister," I grabbed my phone off the nightstand, making the beeping stop, "Morning, Rhi."
"Morning?" she scoffed, "It's damn near midnight where I'm at. Oh my…"
"What?" I rolled my eyes.
"Dear Penthouse Forum…?" Rhiannon wondered, noticing both Kyoya and Honey laying on top of me in one way or another.
"God, you're old," I teased, "No. Honey had a nightmare, so he crawled in with Kyoya and me. Nothing naughty happened."
"You could say that again," Kyoya grumbled in his sleep. At least I thought he was sleeping.
"Nobody asked you," I gave him a little swat to the nose, "What do you want, Rhiannon?"
"I just thought I'd ring in the New Year with my sister," Rhiannon figured, "Nice quiet night with the boyfriend and the dog and the spawn."
"That's real nice," I giggled, "You call Connor your spawn?"
"He is our spawn," she defended, "Have you seen this kid?"
"Yes, I have," I nodded, "Don't call him a spawn."
"Fine," Rhiannon dropped it, "It's hard to believe that last year, I was getting drunk with a bunch of kids in London for New Year's. The year before that, I did a line of blow off someone's lower back and stayed up for three days after."
"I'd say you've traded up," I shrugged, "But maybe that's just me."
"No," she smiled, looking down at her arm, "I'd say I did, too. Well…Hi there, cutie. You're supposed to be asleep yet. Getting hungry?"
"Baby wake up?" I assumed.
"Yeah," Rhiannon melted, "And you should've seen his head jerk toward my phone. You hear Auntie Lana, don't you, Connor?"
"Tilt me down!" I demanded, "I want to see him, too."
"Fine, fine," she panned her phone down to the beautiful bean in her arm, "Who's in there?"
"Hi, Connor," my heart skipped a beat. I have such a cute nephew. He's such a peanut, "I miss him."
"He misses you, too," Rhiannon threw guilt at me, "When are you coming home?"
"Soon," I promised, "Our flight leaves tomorrow. Kyoya's trying to get us a direct flight, but chances are, that won't happen."
"Hawaii layovers aren't so bad," Kyoya admitted, waking up some more, "Hello, Rhiannon."
"Hi, Kyoya," Rhiannon beamed, "Good morning. I'm glad to see you've joined us."
"Where's Elliot?" I wondered, trying to find him in the background.
"He passed out on the couch," she reported, "Damn lightweights, huh, kid?"
Connor merely made some babbling noises while his mama got up from her living room chair, "Leave him alone."
"The fact that he got tonight off is nothing short of a miracle," Rhiannon admitted, grabbing one of Connor's bottles out of the fridge. But then, she caught a glimpse of the clock, "Hold on! It's 11:59!"
"Alright," I let her have that one. Rhiannon lived for New Year's. Why? I may never know.
"Yay!" she chimed, watching it hit midnight, "We're in the same year again!"
"Whatever makes you happy, Rhi," I rubbed my eyes.
"So," Rhiannon figured, "You two should be back in a couple days, yeah?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "We're leaving Japan tomorrow. We'll be leaving Karuizawa soon."
"We should be," Kyoya checked a clock, "Didn't you need to see Yuuichi before we left town?"
"Dammit," I grumbled, "That's right."
"That's your hot doctor, right?" Rhiannon needed sleep. She was losing her filter.
"That's my brother, Rhiannon," Kyoya rolled his eyes, "He's married. Two kids."
"I know," she hummed, "I'm unmarried with one kid and an Elliot. For what it's worth. It's not like I'm going to screw around on Elliot. I love him too much."
"What was that?" I teased, "You what?"
"Oh, crap…" Rhiannon bit her tongue, "I just said the thing, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did," Elliot's voice thundered over her, kissing the top of her head, "I love you, too, darling. It doesn't kill you to say it once in a while."
"Aww," I gushed, "Look at them, Kyoya. Aren't they adorable?"
"I hate you, Lana," Rhiannon glared at me.
"That's ok," Kyoya kissed my cheek, "I love her. It's balanced."
"Ass kisser."
"We need to be going, Lana," Kyoya told me, "If you're going to see Yuuichi in his office, he goes home at five o'clock."
"Good call," I agreed, "Hey, Rhi, I hate to cut you off, but we need to be heading back to Tokyo and it's a four hour drive and I got a doctor's appointment."
"Only you, sweetie," Rhiannon yawned a bit, "Kiss the babies for me."
I leaned over, giving one to Kyoya, and then, kissed the top of Honey's head, "Two down."
"Aww!" she whined, "Did I miss out on Honey?"
"No," I angled my phone down at him, "He's asleep. Honey…"
"Hmm?" Honey opened one eye, "What is it, Lana-chan?"
"Rhiannon sends her love."
"Oh," he perked up, "Hi, Rhi-chan!"
"Hi, sweetie!" No one could make Rhiannon light up quite like Mitsukuni Haninozuka. It was impossible. Except for maybe Connor in the right light. Honey and Rhiannon had a cute relationship and I loved it, "Go back to sleep, ok?"
"I don't want to!" Honey's awake. Honey was definitely awake now.
"Hey," I settled him, "Connor's trying to sleep. It's late there."
"Oh…" he remembered, "I'm sorry. I forgot you were in a different time zone, Rhi-chan."
"It's alright, sweetie," she allowed, "Connor's simple and he doesn't take much to fall asleep. I put on some lo-fi and he's out like a light."
"Seriously?" I gasped.
"Yeah," Rhiannon laughed, "I have the easiest baby in existence. Everyone kept telling me, just wait, Rhiannon. He's going to keep you up at all hours of the night and scream and be a little asshole, but no. I have the most chill baby. And I love it."
"Don't say that too loud," I warned her, "Don't put that kind of voodoo out in the universe."
"We're alright, though," she looked down at the bundle of squish in her elbow with a bottle in his mouth, "Just the three of us, kid."
"I'll make sure to let you know as soon as our flight touches down," I promised, "I miss you guys."
"We miss you, too, love," Elliot blew me a kiss into Rhiannon's phone.
"Say, bye-bye," Rhiannon lifted up Connor's little wrist, making him wave to me. And I'm a damn puddle.
"Bye, guys," I hung my phone up and damn near started crying.
"Lana," Kyoya worried, "What's the matter?"
"I'm very weak hearted," I giggled to myself, "And I miss my sister."
"I miss your sister, too," he admitted, "It's strange, not going to work with Rhiannon."
"You work at Rhi-chan's shop?" Honey gave him a look.
"Interning, yeah," Kyoya nodded, "But if I'm lucky and she asks me nicely, I'll end up a partner at her new shop."
"When's that opening?"
"I don't know," he shrugged, "She's asked me to keep an eye out for locations, so it's a step in the right direction. But between school and work and Lana and the fraternity, I'm stretched pretty thin these days."
"You can manage that…" I hoped, "Right?"
"I've managed much more with much less time," Kyoya slipped me a little kiss, "I'm ok, Lana. I promise. This trip was definitely a necessity, but it'll be nice to get back to our regularly scheduled reality. And that starts with us getting back to Tokyo, so you can see Yuuichi. Go on…"
We did have to get back to Tokyo. Not that I'm complaining. And we'd be back in town for one more night. I couldn't wait. One last night in Japan and I get to spend it in Tokyo with my loving fiancé and clearing my mind before we leave with his brother. That's not too terribly bad. It's going to be the getting past Misuzu that's going to suck something awful.
"Is this the last of your luggage?" Misuzu asked, already getting choked up.
"That's the last of it," I nodded, "Are you going to be alright, Misuzu?"
"Yeah," he brushed me off, "I'll be fine…I think…"
"Misuzu," I threw myself into his chest, "You'll live without me. Besides, I'll be back before you know it."
"When?"
"Spring break, probably?" I figured, checking with Kyoya.
"We could manage a few days here for spring break," he nodded, "Unless everyone comes to see us for spring break instead."
"Speaking of," the twins chimed in.
"Which team…"
"Won the contest, Misuzu?"
"Oh!" Misuzu chirped, "I almost forgot. It was no contest. Lana and Kyoya won. They're a dream in the kitchen together."
"What?" they groaned.
"But they can't have unlimited access to their apartment for a year," Tamaki pointed out, "They live there!"
"If you had to pick a second place winner?" Hikaru asked.
"Honey and Mori," Misuzu picked, "They got the most people here."
"How?" Tamaki whined, "Haruhi and I picked the busiest corner in town!"
"Life finds a way, I guess," Misuzu shrugged.
"Yay!" Honey sang out, "A whole year of being able to come and go to Lana-chan and Kyo-chan's apartment as we please, Takashi! Maybe we should fly back with them."
"Maybe," Mori looked at me from the corner of his eye, gauging my reaction. I gave him a little nod.
"Better luck next New Year," I put my hand on Tamaki's shoulder, "That doesn't mean you're barred from our apartment, Tamaki. You just need to call first. And I don't think you're going to leave Haruhi behind like that."
"Of course not," Tamaki hugged his girlfriend tight, much to her dismay, "I couldn't do that. It'd break my heart."
"You're going to break my spine, Senpai," Haruhi squirmed in his embrace.
"I'll miss you, Misuzu," I smiled, "If we don't see you during spring break, we'll at the very latest see you at our wedding."
"I'm invited?" That was enough to bring the light back to his eyes.
"Of course you are," I scoffed, "Why wouldn't I invite you? I can't have Ranka there unattended. It'd just be a mess."
"Lana!" Misuzu threw his arms around me, "I'm so touched!"
"We do need to get going," Kyoya took my hand, "Misuzu, always a pleasure."
"You, too, Kyoya," Misuzu sent us off and we all headed back to Tokyo. These road trips with Kyoya were good for my soul. Good music, the top down on his car, and the best company. And I managed to squeak out of the bed and breakfast without Misuzu breaking into tears. No one would've been surprised if he did, but I'm impressed. But now, we needed to get back to Tokyo. And I needed to go see my doctor. One of the few I've ever had that I didn't have homicidal thoughts about.
And in the nick of time, too. Kyoya dropped me at Yuuichi's office while he found our hotel for the night. I told him that I shouldn't be long, since not much has really been bothering me. But still. It'll be nice to check in with Yuuichi before we leave town tomorrow morning. He is my second favorite brother-in-law after all. Only barely, though. Elliot and I have history.
"I'm sorry," his receptionist tried turning me away at the door, "Dr. Ootori's just about to leave for the day."
"I know I'm late," I apologized, "But I have an outstanding appointment with…"
"She's alright," Yuuichi called from his office.
"But Dr. Ootori," she defended, "Our hours are between…"
"Alright then," Yuuichi came out with his jacket on his arm and his bag on his shoulder, "If that's the case, then I'll have to take this one out with me."
"But your…"
"Good night," he cut her off, slipping his hand into mine, "Shall we?"
"Yeah." What the hell just happened? "Um…Yuuichi?"
"Yes, Lana?" Yuuichi had the weirdest smile on his face. I've seen the same one on his brother a few times. A mixture of pettiness and mild anxiousness. At least that's my thought.
"What was that all about?"
"My father likes to think he still has me under my thumb," he explained, "I told you that I got a new office, didn't I?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "But…"
"It's a family owned building," Yuuichi clarified, "So, he figures I should have rigorous work hours. And my receptionist isn't the same receptionist I had at my old office. It looks like this appointment's going to have to be off the books. That's ok with you, isn't it?"
"Fine by me," I allowed. Who was I to stop him?
"When are you leaving, Lana?" he wondered, knowing it'd be soon.
"I need to be getting back," I told him, "We both do. It'd be awesome to stick around longer, but I got other things going on. As soon as we get back, I go right into Chicago rehearsals and things are about to get hectic."
"And how's that treating you?"
"I think I got it handled," I hoped, "I mean, once the lights are on me on opening night, I'm sure I won't even realize the people are there. As long as I don't jump after the first applause, I got this."
"What made you do Chicago?" Yuuichi asked, "You don't strike me as the type for musical theatre."
"You'd be amazed," I giggled, "I didn't actively choose to be in Chicago. It's how I got out of reading out loud for my drama class. My drama teacher told me he liked me for Roxie Hart, so if I auditioned for Chicago, I'd be exempt for the rest of the year. What he failed to tell me was that he planned on casting me right then and there."
"In other words…"
"Yeah," I confirmed, "He bullied me into it. But I love Chicago and I know the story like the back of my hand, so my chances of screwing up are pretty slim."
"Let me know when opening night is," Yuuichi requested, "I may need to make a trip to New York then."
"It's off-Broadway," I settled him, "It's nothing worth flying from here to Honolulu to JFK for."
"You are, though," he smiled at me, "I'm going to miss you when you're gone, Lana. You're always such a delight to talk to."
"I'll miss you, too," I laid my head on his shoulder.
"But all in all?" Yuuichi brought it back, "How are you doing? You alright? Good to fly? Needing dosage adjustments?"
"No," I shook my head, "I mean, I had a problem with crowds the other night, but I think that was because there were too many people in too small of a space. Other than that, I'm alright."
"That's good to hear," he applauded, "Why don't you get to your hotel and rest up? I'm sure you have an early flight tomorrow."
"Oh yeah," I nodded begrudgingly, "4AM. Who gets a flight at 4AM?"
"Apparently you."
"Ugh…" I groaned, "Don't remind me."
"You'll sleep on the plane," Yuuichi brushed me off, "You'll do fine."
"Thanks, Yuuichi," I scoffed, "You're such a help."
"I do what I can," he pulled me to his chest, "I meant it, Lana. I am going to miss you. It wouldn't kill you to call once in a while."
"You sound like my sister," I rolled my eyes, "Or my mother if she ever dropped a line."
"I'll take the compliment," Yuuichi couldn't have been talking about my mother. He's met her. And he knew Rhiannon, too. It's no contest, "Go. Hotel. Bed."
"I'm way too awake to go to sleep," I admitted, "I think Kyoya and I will get dinner first. Then, we'll think about going to bed."
"Always with that sharp tongue," he let out a heavy sigh, "Honestly, when I met your sister, I thought she'd be like you. Turns out you're more like Rhiannon than you think. I could almost hear her voice come out of you."
"Trust me," I assured, "Rhiannon and I are opposite ends of the spectrum."
"If you say so," Yuuichi had that damn smirk Kyoya gets when he thinks he's won an argument on his face. I wasn't sure if I should kiss him or punch him. So instead, I fell into his hug, "It was nice seeing you again, Lana."
"You, too, Yuuichi." Looks like Kyoya knew what he was doing. Yuuichi had walked me to our hotel. What a gentleman. If his bitch receptionist wouldn't have turned me away…
However, whenever I got to our room, Kyoya ushered me right back out. Apparently, Tamaki had an idiot idea for one last family dinner while we were still in town. Kyoya could be all angry and bitter all he wanted. He missed our friends as much as they missed us. And I couldn't blame him. Some of them may be morons, but they were our morons.
A/N: That's right. And they're precious. And holy hell, I wasn't anticipating this chapter being this long. But here we are. I'm sure you're not complaining, random citizen. But I think I'm going to call this a night. Because I'm finishing this at damn near ten o'clock on Sunday and I still have one chapter left to do. I'm doing that tomorrow. Screw it. My eyes are killing me, my dog has to pee, and I'm beat. Besides, I had this idiot idea to half ass an ita bag. If you don't know what those are, Google them. They're cool as hell. And God knows I have the supplies to do it. So, I love you. And I'll see you next chapter! xx
