A/N: Thanks for the reads, reviews, follows, and favorites; they're a much needed source of encouragement in these trying times.
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By the time Friday rolled around, Allison was still being weird. She looked a little better and had clearly been getting some more sleep, though it was still pretty obvious just from looking at her that whatever it was that was bothering her hadn't gone away yet. And learning that she'd dropped some of her classes only confirmed that this wasn't just about having me meet her family. Whatever was going on with her was something long term. It irritated me that she wouldn't trust me, but I knew from experience that I needed to be patient and gentle with her in order to get her to open up to me, and even though that grated against my personality, I was willing to do it. I was going to be on my best behavior tonight and prove to her that she could trust me with her problems.
So even though it was hard, I ignored the urge to ask her about her feelings when I picked her up that night. "So where are we going?"
The relief on her face at not being asked what was wrong quickly turned to distaste as she answered my question. "Mystic Pearl Steakhouse. They rented out the whole place so that we can have privacy tonight."
That was unexpected. The Moyashi always acted like she was dirt poor and had to save every penny she got her hands on, so it was confusing that she'd suddenly be talking like money was no object and it was normal be renting the most expensive restaurant in town on a whim. "How much money does your family have? People don't just rent out restaurants for casual family dinners."
"They do when they have a history of causing problems and trashing places." Allison clicked her tongue in disgust before sighing heavily. "But yes, they do have a lot of money. Last I checked, the Earl was worth about seven billion dollars, but who knows if that's still correct. And before you get any ideas or ask any of your thousands of questions, none of it's mine. I was adopted after Mana decided that he wanted nothing to do with the family and cut off ties with them. And even though he's gone, and I've been adopted back into the family, I'm still cut out. What little money I get from them comes in the form of presents from Neah. They're not even helping me pay for school."
While that explained a lot, I still had quite a few questions. However, I could tell from the frustration in Allison's voice that her family's money had something to do with whatever it was that had been bothering her for the last few weeks, so I wasn't going to ask them. We weren't married, so her money issues were between her and her family. Besides, having been raised in a home where money was no issue, I genuinely had no idea how to relate to Allison struggling to get by while her family flaunted their ridiculous wealth. Even now, fresh out of college and living on my own for the first time, I had more than enough money to support myself; I could probably support Allison too, but we'd had that discussion at Christmas, so I knew better than to say that out loud.
Instead, I voiced my concern for her in a different way. "Are they paying for dinner tonight?"
"Yep. Mandatory family dinners may be a pain, but at least the food is free." The Moyashi's usual bright, cheerful smile lit up her face, but it was only there for a brief moment before it fell and she once again looked exhausted. "I really hope Tyki was exaggerating when he said that everyone was coming."
The defeat in her voice piqued my curiosity. "Is there someone in particular that you don't want to see?"
She snorted at that. "All of them. But yes, some of them are worse than others. The twins belong in an institution, and well, you've already met Road, so there's nothing new to explain there. Neah is just as crazy about me as Komui is with Lenalee, so you probably don't want to tell him that we're sleeping together. Oh, and speaking of things you shouldn't tell them, can you call me by my real name tonight?"
"...Why?"
"Putting aside the fact that they're going to tease me horrendously over that nickname..." She sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose before continuing. "My family thinks that I changed my name at school because I'm trying to transition into a man, and no matter what I've said on the subject, I can't convince them otherwise. But maybe you can. You're my boyfriend and we've been together for years, so maybe if you call me Allison and act like you've known all along that I'm female, they might finally let up on me."
"I don't think it'll work, Moyashi. But we can try."
"Thanks."
The remainder of the drive passed in silence, the Moyashi too lost in her thoughts to chatter on like she usually did. We parked in the empty parking lot, and any doubts I might have had about Allison's horrible sense of direction leading us to the wrong place were squashed by the sight of Tyki standing out front smoking.
The look he gave me was disturbing, but before I could wonder why he seemed to be pissed at me, he turned his focus on the Moyashi and said something monumentally stupid. "You look horrendous."
Allison stiffened, but she plastered a sickeningly sweet smile on her face as she let out a viciously sarcastic reply. "Gee thanks. You sure know how to make a girl feel pretty. No wonder you've had so many girlfriends."
He pouted at her as he put out his cigarette. "That's just mean. I was only teasing."
She immediately snapped back at him. "No, you weren't. I'm well aware of how awful I look. You'd look awful too if you'd spent most of the day throwing up."
The comment surprised me; she hadn't said a single word about being sick. And given how much she clearly didn't want to be going to this dinner, I thought that she would have been jumping at having a legitimate reason to skip it. "Moyashi. If you're not feeling well-"
"Don't finish that sentence. I'm fine. Let's just get this over with." Though she was talking to me, she shot an icy glare at Tyki as she stalked past him and into the restaurant.