Meet the Parents
Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard the lock on the front door to their suite click open. She stretched languidly, nuzzling down into the crook of his arm and chest. His body was warm against hers, the intimacy of the night before still echoing through her veins with every brush of skin.
"Did you order room service, love?" she whispered, running her fingers across his smooth muscles.
"Mmmm?" he questioned sleepily. "Service?"
Their bedroom door slammed open. Kyoko yelped, flying upright in the bed with the comforter clutched around her.
"Darlings!"
"Our beautiful children!"
Sunlight flooded the room, blinding Kyoko. She gripped the blankets tighter around her, encountering unexpected resistance. Kuon had rolled himself up into a sausage of blankets, buried against the cacophony. "Kuon!" she whispered urgently.
"Kuon? Dear one, if that is anyone other than your brother Cain under those sheets—" the speaker stalked over to the side of the bed and Kyoko gasped.
"Hizuri-san!" She clapped her hand over her mouth, one hand still clutching the comforter like a life preserver, her eyes darting from his face to that of the beautiful woman in a designer dress standing by his side.
"Father," he said, drawing the word out.
"F-fa—" Kyoko stuttered.
"Setsuka, lovely," the woman— Hizuri Julie?— cooed as she drew to the side of the bed. "What have you done to your hair?" She turned to Kuu and shooed him out, following him. "Both of you, get dressed, then come join us in the living room for breakfast. Dear, call room service."
Kuon rolled out of bed, pulling the covers with him. Kyoko yelped as her soft armor disappeared. "Ku-On!"
He turned to look at her, mirth filling his eyes.
"...meet my parents?" he said, grinning sheepishly. He shrugged beneath the blankets and she growled, throwing a pillow at his face with every ounce of her strength. Kuon ducked, then nodded at the bathroom, gesturing for her to take her time without losing his silly grin. He shuffled out of the room still wrapped in nothing but the giant comforter.
Kyoko threw another pillow, hitting the door as it shut behind him. She heard Kuu and Julie's muffled exclamations of joy at seeing Kuon— Cain? Kuon. She shook her head, confused.
First things first. Kyoko scrambled out of bed and flew into the bathroom. She tried to shower slowly to give the Hizuris as much time as possible to reunite. Maybe even to get bored and come back later. She gritted her teeth as she blow dried her hair then secured the long, bleached wig on top. Setsu's makeup followed: dark pink eyeshadow with gunmetal glitter and dramatic liner. Kyoko still squealed inside every time she got to apply the beautiful set, even today. She wrapped her towel around her and strode over to their luggage.
Clothing. She worried at her lip. It was all so terribly… Setsuka. Her boyfriend's parents sat in the other room after walking in on them. Kyoko moaned, sinking to her knees. Walking in on them naked! She thrashed back and forth silently, Setsu's hair whipping her in the face. She was sure steam was pouring from her ears; it definitely felt like her head was about to explode.
Kyoko peeked from between her fingers to face facts and look at her red-faced self in the mirror.
Setsu peeked back at her from under pink-streaked bangs.
Kyoko's mind cleared.
Setsu. Of course she'd be snuggled indecently with her brother. Of course she'd wear very little to sleep. Of course her parents wouldn't mind— wait.
Back-up.
Kyoko frowned. Of course the parents would mind. What sane parents would consent knowingly to such a relationship between their children?
The sounds of ecstatic gibberish floated through the heavy doorway to her. Kyoko closed her eyes.
Setsu opened her eyes with a smirk. Hers would consent.
She stood and pulled on her favorite miniskirt and low-cut top, securing her hair with a few clips before turning and striding out of the room to see mom and dad.
Dad stood behind the couch, his figure perfectly framed by a tailored gray R. Mandy suit. He looked up as Setsu emerged, his face instantly transformed by pure glee.
"Most beautiful daughter!" he exclaimed, pushing off the back of the couch to race around and pull her into a bone-crushing hug. Setsu winced, her fingers crooked against the sudden chiropractic procedure. Once she could breathe again she found herself smiling— as widely as Setsu smiled, at least— and gently patting Father's back.
"It's been a while, dad," she said. Her gaze shifted to Julie sitting gracefully on the couch in her deceivingly simply cut cream-colored dress, ankles crossed demurely. "Mom," she said, waving her fingers.
"Don't mom me," Julie scolded, thumping the empty seat next to her. Cain occupied the entire second couch, still wrapped like a sausage but prone now, his blanketed legs draped over the elegantly scrolled armrest negligently. He appeared to have fallen back asleep.
Setsu rolled her eyes while Kyoko internally scrambled, trying to process ways to interact normally with a mother. She'd only played characters with absent or dysfunctional mothers. But one of the President's dramas he'd forced the LoveMe section to watch scripted mother and daughter as more like friends than relatives. Chiori had commented jealously on their relationship. Kyoko seized on the fragment.
Setsu jerked her head at the form of her father, still tightly wrapped around her. Do something, she mouthed to Julie.
Julie smirked. "Dear, you're suffocating our daughter with love. Cease and desist." Kuu moaned, snuggling in but finally released her when Julie cleared her throat.
Setsu made a show of brushing herself off, then threw a sly smile at her dad as she walked over to sit beside Julie.
Her mom gracefully hugged her, the touch genuinely warm and comforting. Setsu wanted to sink into it but held herself slightly apart. "Missed you," she managed.
"Setsu, dearest, I know you love Cain but do think of me as well. Managing your father gets so tiresome alone. And just this past weekend we had to negotiate a plea bargain and a bribe, on top of that Singapore contract." She rolled her eyes at Setsu dramatically, mirroring Setsu's earlier expression perfectly. "Can you even imagine how much coddling he required?"
Setsu grinned and shook her head. "Or how much food. Mom, why can't nii-san at least learn how to eat from dad? He is so difficult!" Setsu pretended to pout, then stood up and walked over to plop herself directly on top of Cain, forcing all the air out of his chest in a whoosh. Julie laughed, standing and drawing Setsu up into a true hug as Cain coughed under his mummy-wrap below.
Julie stood back and fingered the fringe on Setsu's top with a sigh. "Sweetling, you are the most beautiful girl on the planet." Kuu nodded enthusiastically, his eyes alight. "Must you display everything to everyone?" Kuu's eyebrows rose at his wife's comment. Setsu narrowed her eyes at her mother, ready for a fight.
"Dearest, Setsu looks gorgeous," Kuu began.
"Cain likes it-" Setsu started.
"Yes, no one is arguing you look fantastic," Julie said, dropping the fringe. "But it makes your beauty so obvious!" Cain finally moved, sticking just his fist out and popping his mother a thumbs-up sign. "See, even your darling brother agrees. The best tactic is to leave men with something for the imagination. Leave them wanting more - craving more. How are we supposed to catch you a lord while we're in England if you dress like anyone will do?"
Cain's thumb flipped in a dramatic and forceful thumbs down, his hand shaking furiously at their mother.
"Mooooooom," Setsu moaned. "I don't want some cock-eyed lord, I have brother. I've told you before." She glared at her mother, sitting back down on Cain's back with a plop. "Cain is mine."
"Yes, yes," Julie patted her head and the blob of comforter that concealed Cain. Setsu could feel him shaking beneath her and was thankful he'd chosen to let her handle this distasteful discussion. What had gotten into her mother? Julie continued, walking over to sit on her couch again. "We all know your brother is the most amazing piece of man flesh to ever grace this earth- dearest, calm down, aside from you of course- but it is your responsibility to marry to bring in better connections for the family business."
Setsu threw her arms out wide, her features roiling with disgust. Julie eyed her, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Hush, dearest, listen. I only said marry, not fall in love. Lord Balthuman has excellent links the Thai cocaine rings and a long-standing success in negotiations with the Youngs' opium business in Singapore. It would be quite the substantial addition to our portfolio."
Kuu's shouts overwhelmed even Setsu's at her declaration, as the two blondes fought to make their protests to mother's plans the most vehement. Setsu stood, striding over to her mother's side, her face red with anger. Kuu leaned over the couch, then flung himself backwards dramatically, stomping around the room gesticulating and shouting about the injustices of it all. Setsu leaned in close to her mother, staring her down, demanding she back off from the plan. Just when she saw a twinkle in her mother's eyes that made her suspicious, Kuu made it to Cain's side and grabbed the corner of the comforter, ripping it dramatically out from around him and dumping him gracelessly onto the floor in the process.
"Woman, behold your son!" Kuu yelled. "Steal his love at your peril!"
Cain blinked, then flushed bright red. He was sprawled on the floor in front of everyone - stark naked.
"Now, dearest," Julie said, her voice soft, her eyes still locked with Setsu's. Kuu still held the blanket aloft dramatically. "We both know the only reason they can't marry each other is that outdated American law. It's the entire reason why we are backing Senator Palpatine for his 2024 election bid. His revisions in California have done wonders, making in a wonderfully enlightened place. Isn't that so, son?" She finally turned to look at Cain, frozen in shock on the floor. "Oh my, you've grown."
Setsu felt her eyes roll back in her head as Kyoko's brain malfunctioned. Blink. Blink. Blink. System rebooting. Hearing came back online first to the muffled sounds of continued conversation between Kuu and Julie. "...until then we must keep up appearances."
Vision came back, dark around the edges at first. Kuu was waving a pair of leather trousers in front of Cain, who grabbed them and started shoving his legs inside. "...an engagement to Lord Balthuman would do nicely for our East Asian influence and their privacy."
Gross motor skills were next. Setsu shook her head, twisting to plop on the couch. "...but when we break it off? Even worse!" Kuu complained.
Fine motor skills. Setsu blinked, her eyes following Kuu and Julie as they started to wander off, still deep in discussion. "Children, join us for breakfast downstairs once you're fully dressed. Dearest, I have complete trust that you would be able to use a short six-week engagement to undermine his operation and assume control. It only took you five for the Columbian syndicate."
"Yes, my queen, but Cain was there personally for Columbia. We've allowed him to galavant around filming nonsense this time. To think he flaunts all his martial experience on film as that BJ character!"
"Oh, I know, love - a knight in shining armor; far closer to the truth. Ten minutes, loves, don't let the omelettes grow cold!"
The door shut behind them.
Setsu and Cain looked at each other.
Exhaled.
Inhaled.
Burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Welcome home, nii-san," she said, sinking into his lap on the floor. "Welcome home…"
A/N: OMG I laughed so hard writing this, I hope you enjoyed reading it at least a little bit as much as I enjoyed writing it. Crime lord Hizuris! Bahahaha! Ch dedicated to kaname671 in revenge for her cock-blocking parents in the last ch of NMMNG grrrrr! Have a wonderful day everyone!