That Promised Winter Sky

by Brave orange blossom

It's time to meet Mei's family, and Eijun's really nervous. He wants to make a good first impression, but Mei being his selfish jerk self and Mei's parents talking about Mei's dating history and the future make it difficult for him. Set during the off-season in Act I. One shot.

Author Notes: I was really excited to start working on this, so even though it hasn't been long since I last posted, y'all get the next part in the series!

This is set during Act I's off-season. It's set almost a week after the previous part in my Summer Sky series, but you don't need to read that part to read this part.

This is part of my Summer Sky series, but you don't need to read the other parts to read this part.

By the way, I blame Mei for the rating. I almost had to change the rating because of him.

I hope y'all enjoy it!

That Promised Winter Sky

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Eijun asked, looking around.

Mei rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm sure. You really think I forgot how to get home?"

"No, I just…" Eijun looked around some more, noticing how expensive the houses around them looked. The two-story houses looked larger than the ones back in Nagano. As expected of Tokyo. Even their two-story houses were on a different level. He looked back at Mei, unsurprised to see him watching him. "I didn't know you were rich."

Mei scoffed. "I'm not rich, trust me. I've told you about my family before, right?"

"But all these houses look big and expensive." Eijun looked down at his outfit, gulping despite himself. "Maybe I should've worn a suit. Or at least nicer clothes." He gasped, eyes widening. "Maybe I should've brought a better gift. I am meeting your family for the first time after all. I—"

"Eijun." Mei smirked as he watched him shiver. He squeezed his hand gently, eyes softening once Eijun looked at him. "You're starting to ramble. I know you're nervous, but I'm here with you." When Eijun only bit his lip and looked around some more, he pulled him closer to kiss his forehead. "You look very handsome. And I'm sure my family will love you and your gift."

(Eijun hadn't told him what kind of gift he brought, and if he was honest, he was really curious what Eijun had brought. When he asked, Eijun had told him to be patient and that he would find out when they got to his house. So impertinent.)

Eijun felt his cheeks heat up.

Earlier in the week, Mei had called his family, wanting to know when he could bring him home to meet them.

To his surprise, Mei's family wanted to meet him almost immediately, inviting him to dinner Saturday night and telling him that he could stay the night.

At first, he wasn't sure about accepting, as it seemed short notice. And not only did they invite him for dinner, but they also invited him to stay the night.

He didn't want to inconvenience them, especially when he had never met them before.

But Mei's family (and Mei himself) insisted that it was no trouble, Mei enthusiastically telling him that they could share his bed.

So he reluctantly accepted, promising himself that he would be on his best behavior the whole time.

He had met Mei outside of Inashiro late that afternoon, surprised when Mei told him that they could walk to his house.

(He could've sworn that Mei had mentioned taking a bus to a bus stop close to his house before. But when he mentioned it, Mei waved his hand dismissively, saying that they could walk for some reason.)

It was strange that Mei wanted to walk to his house instead of taking the bus.

Mei didn't like the cold, and as the sun continued to set, it only got colder.

Why would he choose to brave the cold when they could've just taken the bus?

The early-February wind was so chilly that it was almost painful, and it blew frequently.

Maybe the strangest thing of all was that Mei… wasn't complaining.

(If he did complain after insisting that they could walk, he would've had some choice words to say to him.)

As the wind blew again, Mei shivered, moving closer to him so that there was almost no space left between them.

Would he complain about the cold now?

But to his shock, Mei didn't say anything, only raising his eyebrows at his open mouth.

Both were dressed in their winter clothing, so they weren't as cold as they would be without it.

But even while wearing all his winter clothing, Mei would still complain about the cold.

Why wasn't he complaining?

"That's much better."

Eijun blinked a few times, Mei's voice bringing him out of his thoughts. Mei squeezed his hand gently, smiling softly at him.

It certainly wasn't his first time on the receiving end of that look, but for some reason, it still took his breath away, leaving him speechless.

Mei knocked his shoulder into his own gently. "What were you thinking about?"

"Eh? How could you tell?"

Mei shook his head, giving him a fond look. "You get this funny serious look on your face. It's obvious that you're thinking about something."

"Hah? What do you mean by 'funny', you jerk! My face is not funny!"

Mei snickered, shaking his head again. "But it's funny to see an idiot like you think about stuff."

Eijun scoffed, knocking his shoulder into his gently. "I think about a lot of stuff!"

Mei snickered again. "So? What were you thinking about?"

"You."

Mei's eyes widened before lighting up. He leaned in closer, smirking. "Is that so? What about me?"

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I was thinking about how weird you're being." Mei blinked a few times. "You aren't complaining about the cold."

Mei looked away from him, shrugging. "I thought you would've been happy that I'm not complaining."

"I am. But…" Eijun frowned as Mei continued looking away from him. "You're still acting weird. We could've taken the bus, and yet you insisted on walking. In the cold."

Mei shrugged again, finally looking at him. "It's no big deal."

… Did Mei just say that the cold was 'no big deal'?

Something was terribly wrong.

He frowned deeper. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright. Why do you ask?"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I already told you. You're acting weird. Stop hiding stuff from me and tell me what's wrong."

Mei raised his eyebrows. "You're actually giving me orders?" He scoffed. "You're so impertinent."

"Just tell me, you jerk! And stop dodging the subject!"

Mei pursed his lips, not answering.

He probably would've tried to force him to speak.

If it weren't for Mei gasping before grinning and nudging his shoulder. "We're here."

He blinked a few times, turning his head to look at what Mei was looking at.

A two-story house with a blue (of course it was blue) tiled roof and an imposing wrought-iron and red brick gate greeted him.

His jaw dropped at the size.

It was huge!

The house even came with a large garden in front and a separate building large enough to hold a car.

Maybe a few cars?

The house didn't come with a lot of land, as they were in Tokyo.

But the house itself looked much larger than any of the houses he had seen in Nagano (and even some in Tokyo).

He looked over, shooting a snickering Mei a dirty look. "Not rich, huh?"

Mei rolled his eyes good-naturedly, tugging at his hand to make him follow him through the gate. "I might live in a nice house. But that doesn't mean I'm rich."

"… Nice…" Eijun couldn't stop looking around, gaping at how big it was. The garden even had a small pond, bonsai trees hanging over the pond like bodyguards. He could hear running water, a sharp sound breaking the tranquility frequently. Maybe it was the bamboo rocker arm of a deer scare? "He calls this nice?" He looked back at Mei, glaring accusingly. "Why didn't you tell me that you're rich?"

Mei almost looked… uncomfortable. "It never came up." He shrugged, looking away from him. "How was I supposed to tell you?"

… Huh.

This explained so much.

Mei was always so confident, and he walked as if he were royalty.

On the rare occasions when they would go out to a fancy restaurant for dinner, Mei would always pay for them.

He had always felt bad about letting him pay for everything and had tried to help each time, but Mei would always shake his head disapprovingly, pushing his wallet away and telling him that it was his treat.

And Mei always looked so nicely dressed, as if he had a lot of money to spend on clothes.

(On one of their first dates, Mei had offered in that arrogant and condescending way of his to buy him an outfit, saying that he would pick out something really nice. He had refused, as they hadn't known each other that long at the time. And while Mei had looked offended, dramatically saying that he was passing up a chance to look as handsome as him, he respected his decision, not asking again.)

They stopped in front of an intimidating front door with a door knocker that looked like a lion head. He was worried he would cut his fingers on those sharp looking teeth.

And Mei… was still looking away from him, causing his heart to hurt.

Eijun turned to face him, gently placing his blue medium sized gift bag on the porch before reaching out and grabbing his chin, forcing him to look at him.

Mei turned to face him, his heart clenching at how ashamed he looked.

He had only seen Mei look that ashamed one other time.

When Mei apologized after their big fight.

"… I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Mei's voice was so soft that he immediately shook his head, letting go of his anger to pull him closer, hugging him once he was close enough. "Don't be. I would've appreciated it if you warned me instead of springing it on me like this." He pulled away enough to look him in the eyes, keeping him in his arms. "But I'm sure you had your reasons."

Mei shrugged. "I guess I was worried. Maybe even… scared."

He blinked a few times. "Of what?"

"Your reaction." Mei tightened his grip around him. "When your family is rich, people treat you differently. I don't care what everyone thinks of me. But…" He laughed hollowly, shaking his head and closing his eyes briefly. "I didn't want you of all people to treat me differently."

Eijun shook his head, giving him a soft smile. "You've got nothing to worry about." He leaned in, kissing his forehead before giving him a devilish grin. "You're the prince, and I don't treat you differently. I'm not going to treat you differently just because you're rich."

Mei's lips twitched despite himself. "So impertinent. You're lucky I like you."

As much as he hated to admit it, Eijun was right.

He probably should've told him before now.

And sure, bringing Eijun to his house wasn't the best way to tell him.

(His reaction was really funny, though.)

But he was… scared that it would change how Eijun felt about him. Scared that Eijun would treat him differently.

He was an idiot.

He should've known Eijun wouldn't leave him or treat him differently because he was rich.

(His first clue really should've been how Eijun didn't show him respect. He was the prince and his boyfriend, and Eijun treated him as if he were one of his friends. What an impertinent brat.)

"I might be impertinent, but I am telling the truth." Eijun gave him a serious look, catching him off guard. "You know that, right?"

Mei felt his breath catch, unable to speak for some reason. He nodded, not looking away from those straightforward eyes of his.

Eijun gave him his smile, kissing his cheek before pulling away, almost making Mei frown. He picked up his gift bag with one hand and held Mei's hand in the other. "You know…" Mei blinked, tilting his head. "I'm starting to feel nervous again. I really should've worn a suit."

Mei smirked, the sight of it causing him to blink a few times. "If you want my parents thinking that you're here to ask them for permission to marry me, then sure."

Eijun squawked, face turning as red as a tomato. "M-Marry you? What…?"

"Are you saying you don't want to marry me?" Mei pouted, almost smirking when Eijun looked away.

Eijun didn't understand how he could say that so… easily. "T-That's… I mean… We're still in high school!"

Mei laughed, noticing that even his ears were red. "Is that all? We can get married once you graduate."

"Stop teasing me, you jerk! Why are you suddenly talking about m-marriage anyway?"

Mei rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I already told you. If you wore a suit, my parents would think that you're here to ask them for permission." He furrowed his eyebrows. "Isn't that how it normally works?"

"Of course not!"

Mei laughed again. "Alright, fine. I'm sorry. I'll stop." He almost snickered at his suspicious look. "Will you relax? My family's not going to bite your head off." He gave him a soft smile. "They're looking forward to meeting you."

"And I look… alright?"

He squeezed his hand gently. "I already told you this earlier, but you look very handsome."

And he meant it.

Eijun wore a black winter coat, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. He also wore a white scarf around his neck.

And although it was obvious he was nervous, his eyes were as bright as usual.

He wanted to kiss him.

Eijun smiled softly, cheeks still red. It made him look more handsome than he already was. "Then I guess I'm ready."

He felt relieved to hear that. But… "You're not angry?" he blurted. At his confused look, he gestured to his house.

Eijun shook his head, giving him another soft smile. "I'm not rich, so I don't know what it's like to have people treat you differently because of that." He gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "And it's obvious you were worried about how I would react. So I'm not angry."

It definitely wasn't the first time, but he felt grateful and relieved for his kindness and understanding.

He pulled him closer, lips twitching as Eijun laughed. He gave him a quick kiss before pulling away, grinning cheekily. "Are you ready to see what the inside of the prince's house looks like?"

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly, his smile still on his face. "Let's do it."

After Mei closed the front door, they took off their winter coats, Mei almost sighing at the warmth.

He turned his head to ask Eijun something, but he promptly forgot what he was going to say, his breath catching and his eyes widening as he noticed what Eijun was wearing.

An Inashiro red sweater.

Eijun was wearing Inashiro colors.

Did he… do that on purpose?

Eijun looked at him, grinning smugly when he noticed how Mei kept staring at his sweater. "See something you like?"

This brat totally did it on purpose!

He cleared his throat, stepping closer to him, watching as those brown eyes darkened. "You little brat. How am I supposed to keep my hands to myself when you're wearing that?"

Eijun shrugged, grinning innocently. "I guess you'll have to put up with it."

They had just arrived.

And yet, he already wanted to leave.

He wanted to leave and go somewhere private where he could give in to his… urges.

(Or go back out into the cold. Maybe the cold will keep his mind off how attractive Eijun looked.)

"You think this is funny, huh?" He stepped closer, eyes darkening as Eijun stepped away from him. "This is one bet you won't win." He spoke in a dangerously low and quiet voice, watching as Eijun shivered. He reached out, pulling him closer until they were centimeters away from each other, smirking as Eijun gasped. "Trust me. I will win."

Eijun almost couldn't breathe under those dark blue eyes. But he refused to lose. "You're not very convincing when it looks like you're about to jump me here in the entranceway."

He cursed, letting go of him to turn around and take a deep breath, tempted to kiss him when he heard him snicker.

He could do it.

He would show Eijun that he could keep his hands to himself.

And win the bet.

(If his mom wasn't home, he probably wouldn't have cared as much and would've already dragged Eijun off to his room.)

Eijun was so lucky his mom was home right now.

He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or not when his mom walked into the entranceway, her eyes lighting up at seeing them.

"Mei, why didn't you say you were home? You know I've been waiting for you."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Eijun grinning devilishly, almost causing him to frown. "Sorry, Kaa-chan. I'm home."

As soon as they got to his room, he was going to punish him.

Long enough to satisfy his craving and long enough so that Eijun would regret teasing him.

(That would show him.)

"Sorry for the intrusion," Eijun said, causing them to look at him.

To his surprise, Mei's mother immediately smiled at him. "Welcome. Thank you for accepting our invitation. I hope we haven't inconvenienced you in any way."

Eijun immediately shook his head. "Thank you very much for the invitation. You haven't."

"You're so polite. Mei's told us a lot about you, but he didn't mention that." Mei rolled his eyes, noticing out of the corner of his eye as Eijun flushed. "Mei, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Mei gestured to his mother. "This is Kaa-chan."

She bowed to him. "I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Narumiya Mai. It's nice to meet you."

Eijun couldn't help but gape at how beautiful she was.

Mei definitely got his eyes, hair color, and skin tone from his mother.

Unlike Mei, though, she had long hair tied into a ponytail that stopped a few centimeters past her shoulders. Mei had told him his mother's age before, but he still couldn't believe how young she looked. She didn't have any wrinkles or blemishes on her fair skin. Mei had also told him that she liked to jog when she wasn't busy with work. Which explained her thin figure.

She wore a blue long-sleeved blouse with a matching skirt that stopped at her knees. The blouse had two blue fake roses sewed near her collarbone.

"Kaa-chan, this is my boyfriend, Eijun."

He immediately bowed deeper than she had. "I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Sawamura Eijun. It's nice to meet you." Once he straightened, he held out the blue gift bag. "Um… It's not much, but here's a gift."

"I'm sorry for making you go out of your way." She accepted the gift bag, giving him a soft smile, catching him off guard (because that was Mei's smile). "Thank you." She suddenly gasped, causing him to blink. But instead of speaking to him, she looked at Mei, giving him a disapproving look. "Did you two walk here? He's shivering."

"It wasn't that bad," Mei said, almost rolling his eyes again. He looked at Eijun out of the corner of his eye, noticing that his mom was telling the truth.

His boyfriend was shivering.

To Eijun's amusement, she squinted at him, giving him a suspicious look. "Are you really my son?"

"Kaa-chan!"

She gestured for them to follow, her confident gait reminding him of Mei's cocky gait for some reason. "My son would've complained about the cold."

He couldn't help but snicker, nudging Mei. "See? Even your mother thinks you're acting strange."

"Shut it, you." He almost snickered again as Mei shot him a dirty look. "Are you alright?"

He felt his breath catch at his concerned look, feeling him squeeze his hand gently. "That… Shouldn't that be my line?"

"You're the one shivering, idiot."

He nodded, squeezing his hand gently. "I'm a little cold. But I'm sure I'll warm up soon." He grinned devilishly. "I'm surprised you're not shivering, especially since you always complain about the cold."

"Maybe because I'm feeling hot." Mei leaned in closer, blowing cool air onto his ear and smirking when he jumped. "If you know what I mean."

He flushed at the heated gaze.

He didn't regret wearing this outfit.

(After all, what better way to tell his boyfriend's family that he liked him and supported him than to wear his school colors?)

But maybe he had teased him a little too much earlier.

Mei's mother led them through the entrance hall and into a wide living room.

(She was taller than both him and Mei by at least a few centimeters, causing him to wonder if Mei had gotten his height from his father.)

The living room looked like it could hold two of his living rooms from back home.

One of the things that he had immediately noticed about Mei's house was how Western it looked.

And that continued in the living room, black leather couches and polished wooden floors catching his eye immediately. Beautiful (and probably expensive) artwork adorned the walls, and he could even spot a few expensive looking vases. A wide and beautiful tapestry adorned the wall next to the couches.

He could smell wood and hear some crackling, causing him to look to his left and see a fireplace. Flames danced in the fireplace, heating the room and creating a relaxing ambience.

Mei led him over to one of the leather couches, gesturing for him to sit down, looking amused when he sat down carefully.

Or maybe it was because his mouth was open?

Was that a… flat screen mounted on the wall in front of him?

"You two, wait here. I'll go get you some tea."

Mei's mother's voice brought him out of his thoughts, causing his eyes to widen.

He immediately got up, ignoring Mei's protest. "Would you like any help?"

She smiled softly at him. "Thank you for the offer, Sawamura-kun. But I'll be alright." To their surprise, she didn't leave the room right away, blinking when she frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so formal. It's a habit from work. Is it alright if I call you Eijun?" But before he could agree, she clapped once, beaming. "I know! I'll call you 'Ei-chan'! Isn't it cute?"

"Kaa-chan!" Mei rebuked, causing him to jump and look at him. "You just met him! Don't give him a nickname!" He shot him an apologetic look.

She frowned at Mei. "It's just a nickname. We're going to get to know him better tonight anyway."

"That's not the point! You might be making him uncomfortable!"

Eijun shook his head, causing them to look at him. "I don't mind. That was my nickname back home, so I'm used to it." He smiled softly.

She smiled at him again. "In that case, Ei-chan, please sit down and relax. I'll be back shortly with some tea."

"Thank you very much."

He waited until she left to sit back down, eyebrows furrowing as he looked over and saw Mei's frown. "What?"

Mei huffed, tugging at his hand a little. "You shouldn't encourage her like that. She's really going to start calling you that from now on. Is that what you want?"

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "It's just a nickname. And it's one my friends back home used all the time." He smiled softly, squeezing his hand gently. "I really don't mind."

"… Fine. But…" Mei pulled him closer until they were centimeters away from each other, unable to stop his gasp as those serious eyes met his own. "If you feel uncomfortable, I want you to tell them. I don't care if you're rude to them." He shook his head, narrowing his eyes when Eijun opened his mouth to protest. "I want you to tell them. Otherwise, they'll keep doing it. Do you understand?"

Eijun nodded reluctantly. "I don't want to be rude to your family. But I'll tell them if I feel uncomfortable. I promise."

He wouldn't be rude, though.

If they somehow went too far and he had to speak about it, he wouldn't be rude.

He had promised himself to be on his best behavior the whole time.

And he wasn't going to break it just because their teasing went a little too far.

Mei was worrying too much.

Again.

Mei looked pleased, letting him go so that he could sit back against the couch. "Good boy." To his irritation, he patted him on the head, laughing when he shoved his hand away.

"I'm not a dog, damn it!"

Mei smirked, leaning in closer. "If you were a dog, you would be very cute."

He couldn't stop the flush, shooting him a dirty look when he pulled away, laughing again. "Stop teasing me, you jerk!"

Mei's mother returned before Mei could respond, Mei's mother shaking her head with a soft smile when Eijun offered to help with the tea.

Her smile remained on her face as Eijun thanked her for the tea, nodding her head to encourage him to try the tea.

He blew on his tea a couple of times before tentatively taking a sip, smiling at the taste and the warmth. "This tastes delicious. Thank you very much, Narumiya-san."

She shook her head. "It's no trouble. And please call me Mai." His eyes widened. "I get called Narumiya-san enough at work. I don't want my son's boyfriend to call me that, too."

He hesitated, looking over at Mei to see what he thought.

Mei didn't hesitate to nod, giving him a soft smile.

He nodded back before looking at Mei's mother and giving her a soft smile. "In that case, thank you very much, Mai-san."

To his surprise, she gave them a scrutinizing look, tapping her chin. It was such a Mei gesture that he barely stopped himself from smiling. Her smile returned to her face, causing him to blink. "So, how's school going, Ei-chan?"

… What was that about?

It didn't take long for his shivers to die down, the warm tea and the heat of the fireplace easily warming his body up.

As they drank the tea, Mai-san asked him some questions, getting to know him better. She asked Mei a few questions, but for the most part, she concentrated on him.

In return, he politely inquired about her day and made use of the information Mei told him about her to continue the conversation.

After they finished the tea, Mai-san took everyone's cups and stood up, looking at Mei. "Your father and sisters should be home soon. Why don't you show Ei-chan around the house while you wait?"

Mei nodded, standing up and immediately tugging him up out of his seat. "Good idea." He looked at him, grinning cheekily. "You're pretty lucky to be receiving a tour from the prince himself."

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, missing the way Mai-san watched their exchange with interest. "Don't be full of yourself. It's just a tour."

Mei snickered, grabbing his hand and tugging him after him. He looked at Mai-san, gesturing to the two of them. "After the tour, we'll be in my room if you need us, Kaa-chan."

"Leave the door open."

Mei looked away from her, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He led him around the rest of the living room first, pointing out the adjoining dining room and sliding glass doors that led out to the terrace.

Eijun was interested in going outside and seeing what the terrace looked like, but Mei (for the first time that evening) complained about the cold, not wanting to go out there even for a second.

Eijun couldn't help but smile, breathing a sigh of relief.

They exited the living room, Mei pointing out the kitchen as they walked past it.

After showing him the bathroom, they walked past another set of sliding glass doors, Mei pointing out their outside courtyard, causing him to gape.

They circled back to the entrance hall, Mei leading him up a brown helical staircase.

Mei pointed out his family's bedrooms as they walked past them on the way to his room, ending the tour at his room and encouraging him to go inside.

His jaw dropped.

Mei's bedroom was huge!

The wide bedroom looked like it could hold three of his bedrooms from back home.

Like his bedroom from back home, Mei had a desk next to his bed. Mei's desk was a lot larger and wider than his desk, though. It also looked expensive.

He couldn't help but notice the baseball magazines and books in his bookshelf, lips twitching as he noticed the baseball posters on his walls and the strewn baseballs on the floor.

Mei's room even had a set of brown doors near the back of it, but he didn't know where they led to.

"Ah, that?" Mei looked over, noticing what he was looking at. "That's just my walk-in closet."

He said it so casually, as if everyone had a walk-in closet in their bedroom.

What a rich kid.

He took off his brown backpack, setting it down on the floor next to his desk. He also took off his scarf and gloves, placing them on top of his backpack.

Mei waited until he finished before grabbing his hand, pulling him over to his dark brown king size poster bed. He snickered as Eijun sat on the edge carefully, as if he were afraid to dirty the fancy looking blue comforter and white bedsheets.

Eijun turned to face him, about to ask him something.

But he promptly forgot what he was going to say as Mei leaned in, kissing him.

He gasped into the kiss, almost frowning at his smirk and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer.

He was about to deepen the kiss, Mei either thinking the same as him or somehow reading his mind as his tongue darted out, licking his lower lip.

But before he parted his lips, he belatedly realized where they were, quickly pulling away and ignoring Mei's whine.

He quickly looked over, eyebrows furrowing at the closed door. He looked back at Mei, inching away from him as Mei leaned in to kiss him again. "Wait. What about…" He let out another gasp as Mei pulled him closer, giving him such a long and hard kiss that it made him moan.

And momentarily forget what he was talking about.

He responded to the kiss eagerly, enjoying the way those lips were kissing him.

But he finally pulled away several moments later, belatedly remembering what he was going to say.

"Wait. Stop—"

Mei tackled him onto his bed, causing him to yelp. But before he could get up, Mei started kissing every inch of his face, his hands already pulling up his sweater and touching his skin, making him shiver. "No."

"You…" He moaned as Mei pulled down his sweater and kissed his neck, unable to stop himself from tilting his head to give him better access. Mei hummed, approving his action and started kissing up and down his neck. "The… The door…" He could barely remember what he was going to say, mind distracted by the pleasure.

Mei hummed, not looking up from his neck. "It's locked. Don't worry."

"That's…" He gasped as Mei's fingers lightly brushed his nipples, hating how he leaned into the touch. "That's not the point. Mai-san…" He moaned, briefly closing his eyes as Mei twisted his nipples. That attention and the way Mei was kissing his neck made it hard to think. Part of him wanted to give in. "Mai-san told you to… leave the door open."

Mei finally looked up from his neck, giving him such a heated look that it almost made him shiver. "This is probably one of the only times we'll have some privacy, and you want me to listen to Kaa-chan?" He snorted, shaking his head as he kissed his cheek. "No way."

"But… But she's your mother. We should obey her rules."

Mei shrugged, kissing his neck again. "Then tell her it was my fault. I don't care."

He wanted to hate the way Mei's touch and words were slowly convincing him, feeling the fight leave him even as he tried to protest. "We… We shouldn't…" He gasped as he felt nibbling on his neck, his hands lightly pushing his head away. "Stop! I keep telling you not to leave any marks!"

"But Eijun!"

He glowered at him, hating how he shivered. "Stop that!"

"It's no big deal," Mei muttered into his skin, pulling away to look him in the eyes. "Everyone knows you're dating someone." He huffed. "And it's a spot no one will see." He thought for a few moments. "Well, maybe your roommate will see it. And anyone who bathes with you."

He moved his hands to his shoulders, ready to push him away if he started nibbling again. "I said no, Mei. Not…" He shook his head, his hands tightening his grip on his shoulders as he noticed the disappointment in those blue eyes. "Not now."

Mei huffed again, but a few moments later, he nodded, leaning in to nuzzle his neck and making him smile despite himself. "Fine. I'll wait until you're ready." He pulled away, giving him a quick kiss. "I'm sorry."

(He would respect Eijun's wishes, not wanting to upset him. Even if he desperately wanted to mark him. Mark him on spots someone will see so that they knew Eijun was his. A petty and mean part of him wanted Kazuya to see his marks on Eijun. And finally realize that Eijun was his.)

"… Not now, okay?" Eijun tugged at his collar to make him look at him, giving him a soft smile once he did. "But one day for sure."

Mei's eyes lit up. He gave him another quick kiss, smirking as he pulled away. "Then I'll hold you to that promise. Now where were we?"

And before he could think about stopping him, Mei took off his sweater, his smirk widening as he jumped at his touch.

"Mei! What did I…" Eijun moaned as Mei started kissing up and down his chest slowly, shivering at the light touches. "You jerk. What did… What did I just say?"

Mei hummed into his skin, not looking up from what he was doing. "When? Just now?"

"About…" Eijun gasped as Mei's hands removed his belt and unbuttoned his pants. "About Mai-san…"

Mei paused, looking up to give him an innocent grin and a shrug. "I wasn't listening."

He let out a strangled sounding gasp as Mei moved his mouth to his nipple and started sucking on it. "You… I thought…" He quickly covered his mouth so that he didn't accidentally yell when one of Mei's hands started twisting his other nipple. "You… I thought you wanted to win the bet."

He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or not when Mei finally stopped, looking up at him. "Oh, trust me. I'm still winning the bet."

Eijun let out a breathless laugh, his hands making their way into Mei's hair. "Is that so? How can you say that when you're about to lose?"

Mei frowned as his hands messed up his hair, reminding himself to scold him later. "I'm not going to lose. I'm not even close to losing."

"Really?" Eijun almost felt amazed he could still say that, especially after what just happened. He gestured to himself, eyes lingering on his unbuttoned pants. "Because it looks to me that you're about to lose."

Mei gave him a dangerous smile, his blue eyes dark with arousal. "That's where you're wrong." He leaned in, giving him a kiss before moving to his ear. "I only lose if I give in."

He couldn't stop his shiver as Mei pulled away, tugging him by his hair to pull him back in. "And you're not…" He gasped as Mei dodged his lips and started kissing his chest again. "You're not about to give in? With me looking like this?"

He wasn't stupid.

He knew how much Mei loved it whenever he wore Inashiro colors.

If Mai-san wasn't here, he had no doubt that Mei would've jumped him in the entranceway.

(Or maybe Mei would be patient (for once) and wait until they got to his bedroom.)

Mei hummed into his skin, licking his nipple and smirking when he gasped. "I can stop whenever I want to."

"Then…" He moaned as Mei bit his nipple. "Then what's this?"

"This?" Mei's smirk widened as he pulled away, blowing cool air, almost making him jump again. "This, Eijun," he said slowly, keeping his eyes on him and watching him as if he were calculating what to do next. If he were on the mound, Mei would be thinking about his next pitch. "This is me teasing you. After all…" He leaned in, kissing his cheek. "If you give in, I win."

Arrogant jerk.

He wanted to push him away and crawl on top of him. And tease him like he had been teasing him.

That would show him.

But he had always been weak to Mei's touches, practically melting at even the slightest touch.

(He wanted to hate the way he and his body loved Mei's touches, as it made him feel like he was losing and submitting to his rival. And he hated losing to Mei. But strangely enough, he couldn't find it in himself to hate it.)

Something Mei was aware of and mercilessly took advantage of.

Especially during moments like this.

So instead of pushing him away, he pulled him closer, kissing him once he was close enough, unashamed to admit he was eager with how he used his teeth and tongue during said kiss.

Not that Mei seemed to mind, responding eagerly and smirking into the kiss when he squirmed at the feel of fingers tugging at his pants.

He somehow managed to pull away several moments later, giving him a wide-eyed look. "We should…" He let go of Mei's hair to cover his mouth as Mei started giving his other nipple the same treatment he did the other, unable to stop the yell from escaping. "We should…" He breathed heavily, gasping as one of Mei's hands moved his hands away from his mouth. "We should stop…" He let out that strangled sounding gasp from earlier as Mei started sucking. "Mei… We should… We should stop."

Unfortunately for him, Mei didn't plan on stopping.

They finally had some time alone.

(Something they probably wouldn't get until bedtime.)

He planned on enjoying every moment of it.

And while part of him wanted to give in (or wanted Eijun to give in), he wasn't planning on going any further.

(Of course he was tempted to go further. But Eijun could be quite loud, and he didn't want his family to hear them. It was Eijun's fault for wearing Inashiro colors, but he would be a good boyfriend and look out for him.)

After all, it would be bad if his family heard them and blamed Eijun for it.

(Something he refused to let happen. He will protect Eijun from his family no matter what. Even if that meant ignoring his… urges.)

But he could still tease Eijun, wanting him to feel as hot and bothered as he did.

This was Eijun's punishment.

For being such a naughty brat.

He gave his chest a few more kisses, pulling his pants down to kiss his waist and winking when Eijun gasped.

But unfortunately for Eijun, he didn't linger near his pants, leaning in to kiss the spot where his heart was gently before kissing his left shoulder a few times.

"M-Mei…"

He gave him one more kiss, pulling away several moments later and smirking as Eijun whined and tried to pull him back in. "You know what?" Eijun blinked. He got off Eijun, his smirk widening as Eijun's mouth dropped. "You're right. We should stop."

Eijun stared at him, unable to believe what just happened.

Did he… Did he just stop?

He growled, pouncing on him, Mei laughing as he fell back onto his bed. "You ass! I can't believe you!"

Mei laughed again, looking way too comfortable as he lied under him, clearly unfazed by his anger. "You're the one who wanted me to stop."

Arrogant jerk.

"Why you…!"

"Mei!"

He froze at hearing Mai-san's voice.

It sounded as if she were right down the hall.

What if she saw that Mei's door was closed?

Mei snickered at his reaction, smirking when he glowered at him and tugging him so that he lied on top of him. He tried to resist at first, but when Mei kissed his forehead, giving him a soft look, he stopped, pouting. He buried his face in Mei's chest, tempted to hit him when Mei snickered again, trying not to smile as Mei's arms wrapped around him. "What is it, Kaa-chan?"

"Your father and sisters are home! Come down so that you can introduce Ei-chan to them!"

Mei grumbled under his breath, annoyed she was interrupting their time together. "Alright! We'll be right down!"

They heard footsteps walk away from Mei's room and further down the hall, causing Eijun to breathe a sigh of relief.

"That was close, huh?"

Eijun wanted to hit him, knowing that if he pulled away to look at Mei, he would see that annoyingly attractive smirk on his face. "This is your fault, you jerk." He pulled away enough to give him a glower. "I hate you."

"That's not what you said this morning," Mei crowed, smirking as he kept glowering.

They lied on Mei's bed for a little bit longer, waiting for their heartbeats to slow down before getting up.

Mei snickered as he got up, about to get off the bed, causing him to look at him, confused. "You might want to get dressed first, Eijun." His smirk remained on his face as he watched him shiver.

"S-Shut up! That's what I was going to do!" Eijun flushed as he grabbed his sweater and belt, almost shivering again as he felt Mei's eyes watching him. He got off the bed, quickly putting on his sweater and belt.

Spotting a full-length mirror next to Mei's walk-in closet, he walked over, wanting to double check that he looked presentable.

His hair looked untidy, causing him to hurriedly comb it with his hands.

He couldn't help but notice that if he had allowed Mei to mark him, his sweater would've covered it up.

His flush darkened as he saw that his lips were red. He quickly tried to rub it away, but his lips were still red when he removed his hand, causing him to frown.

"Move over. Let me see." Mei nudged his shoulder, causing him to move over a little so that Mei could see himself. He laughed as Eijun rubbed his lips. "What are you doing?" He couldn't help but pout, leaning in closer to give him the full effect of it. "You're not trying to wipe away my kisses, are you?"

Eijun huffed as he saw that his lips were still red, shaking his head and looking away from him. "Don't be stupid. I was trying to rub the red off my lips."

"Now who's the stupid one?" Mei laughed again, his shoulders shaking as Eijun looked back at him, glowering. "You can't rub it off. You have to wait until it goes away by itself." He shrugged, looking smug. "It's because we kissed a lot." He pointed to his own lips, red lips visible in the mirror. "See? My lips are red, too."

Eijun's eyes widened, looking horrified. "I have to wait?" Mei nodded, looking amused. He stepped closer to Mei, making their shoulders touch. "This isn't good! I'm about to meet the rest of your family! They'll…" He gestured to his lips. "They'll see this!"

Why?

Why did he get so caught up in the pleasure and in Mei's presence?

Mei's family will know that he was up here, kissing him.

Kissing him enough times and long enough so that their lips turned red.

This wasn't good.

Hands touching his face snapped him out of his panicked thoughts, causing him to look at Mei.

"Will you relax?" Mei huffed. He let go of his face, holding onto his shoulders. "So they'll see that we kissed a lot? It's no big deal. It's not like we did it in front of them." Eijun flushed, causing him to grin. "Kaa-chan already likes you. And the rest of my family will, too." He smirked. "They're not going to start hating you or judging you just because you're a horny teenager who likes kissing his handsome boyfriend."

Eijun snorted, grabbing his left hand with his right hand and letting it touch his cheek before kissing it. "I don't want to hear that from you."

Mei flushed at the tender touch, giving him another cheeky grin. "I don't think I have to remind you, but I will just in case. You better behave while we're with my family." He gave him a fake serious look.

"I really don't want to hear that from you," Eijun said, snorting again and pulling him closer.

Mei only laughed, leaning in to kiss his forehead before pulling away. He let go of him, striking a pose in the mirror. "What do you think? I look handsome, huh?"

"Coming from a horny teenager," Eijun said, giving him a suggestive look, causing Mei to snicker. "I could just eat you up."

Mei snickered again, unable to stop his flush. "It sounds like someone's hungry." He smirked, nudging his shoulder. "And I'm not just talking about food." He tapped his chin. "And if you're still hungry around bedtime, let me know." Eijun almost squirmed as he tugged at his pants, his eyes focused on an area below his waist. "I know just the thing that will satisfy that craving of yours."

"Shut up, you pervert! As if I'm going to… do anything like that while your family is around."

Mei tugged at his pants again, giving him a suggestive look. "It should be fine as long as we're quiet." He snickered. "That might be difficult for you, though."

"I can be quiet!"

Mei raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" Eijun nodded. "Then why don't you prove it?"

"Fine! I will!" Eijun blushed as he belatedly realized what he agreed to, causing Mei to laugh. "Stop teasing me, you jerk!"

Mei shrugged, combing his hair with a comb and nodding to himself once he saw that his hair was pretty close to its normal perfect self. "I'm really not. Let me know if you change your mind."

Unfortunately, he couldn't put any of his products in it, as it would take too long.

He would have to put up with his pretty close to perfect hair.

"I just… You… I can't…" Eijun groaned, turning back to face the mirror to check again.

Mei rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Stay still." He grabbed a brush, brushing Eijun's hair.

Eijun gaped at him, looking at him through the mirror before shrugging and deciding to enjoy his boyfriend's attention. Mei smiled softly, his smile brightening (if it were possible) when he saw Eijun's smile through the mirror.

Several moments later, Mei pulled away with a satisfied nod. "There. It looks much better now."

Eijun, having closed his eyes at the soothing motion of Mei brushing his hair, opened his eyes and looked at his hair.

To his surprise, it looked… nice. A few hairs were sticking up, but he knew only gel or hair spray would tame them.

He beamed before looking at Mei who moved next to him. "Thank you." He struck a pose in the mirror, looking at him through the mirror. "What do you think? Do I look presentable?"

Mei snorted, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Presentable isn't the right word." Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. He smirked smugly. "Handsome. Both of us look really handsome."

Eijun flushed before giving him a grateful smile. "Then I guess I'm ready. Let's not keep your family waiting any longer."

"Wait."

Eijun blinked as Mei let go of him, looking confused. "What is it?"

Mei leaned in, giving him a soft and gentle kiss, causing him to smile into the kiss.

Mei pulled away a few moments later, giving him a cheeky grin. "Alright! Now we can go!"

Eijun shook his head fondly, his smile still on his face.

They left Mei's bedroom and went downstairs, Mei looking at him and squeezing his hand gently before entering the living room.

He nodded, giving his hand a squeeze and smiling softly at him.

Mei nodded, leading the way into the living room.

Their entrance didn't go unnoticed, two young women and an older man looking up from what they were doing.

They stopped by one of the leather couches, waiting for everyone to stand up so that Mei could introduce everyone.

Mei introduced his father, Kenji-san, and his two sisters, Asami-san and Akari-san, to him.

And much to his surprise, Kenji-san quickly told him that he didn't need to be so formal, fondly telling him that Mai-san had probably told him the same thing.

Like before, he hesitated and couldn't stop himself from looking over at Mei.

Mei nodded, giving him a soft smile, causing him to smile back.

Neither of them was aware that the rest of Mei's family were watching them interact with interest.

Asami-san and Akari-san obviously got their eye and hair color from their mother.

Like her mother, Asami-san had her hair in a ponytail that stopped a few centimeters past her shoulders. When they had come in, she had been frowning deeply at her phone for some reason, the frown causing her face to look stern. But now that she was smiling, causing him to almost gape once he realized that was Mei's smile, it made her face soften and made her look younger than she actually was. Asami-san had obviously gotten her height from her mother, as she was taller than both him and Mei by at least a few centimeters. From what he remembered, Asami-san had played soccer in high school and university, and she still liked playing it from time to time, which explained her thin figure.

Mei had told him before that his parents and his oldest sister, Asami-san, worked at a large company. He hadn't told him the company's name, but he had told him that the company was mainly a clothing company.

If he remembered correctly, Mai-san was the CEO of said company. Kenji-san was the second in charge (or was it third in charge), and Asami-san worked in the public relations department.

Kenji-san and Asami-san both had a suit on, either not having enough time to change out of their work clothes or not wanting to for some reason. Both Kenji-san and Asami-san had taken off their jackets, leaving them in their white long-sleeved dress shirt and black dress pants.

Akari-san, much like her name, was bright and cheerful. She had been frowning at something on her phone when they came in, but now she was bouncing in place, happiness and excitement visible in her eyes. Unlike her sister and mother, Akari-san's hair was short. Almost as short as Mei's. She wore a blue long-sleeved turtleneck sweater and a light pink skirt with white tights underneath. She had obviously gotten her height from her father, as she was around the same height as him and Mei. Mei had told him that she had played baseball in high school, surprising him as he didn't even know that there were girl's teams, which explained her thin figure.

Mei had told him before that Akari-san was a second year university student, studying to become a journalist. More specifically, a sports journalist. She currently wrote articles for her university's newspaper. Mei had bragged about how she liked writing sports articles the most and how she'll write about him one day, causing him to roll his eyes good-naturedly.

Unlike the rest of his family, Kenji-san had short black hair and dark brown eyes. He had been frowning deeply at some papers when they had come in, but as soon as he spotted them, he had quickly tidied his papers into a neat pile and placed them in a black briefcase. Mei had obviously gotten his height from his father, as Kenji-san was a couple of inches shorter than both him and Mei. Like everyone else in his family, he was thin. But he also had a lean, muscular body, his body shape reminding him of Mei's for some reason.

After welcoming him and thanking him for accepting their invitation, Kenji-san asked him about school and how his team were doing, looking interested.

Akari-san also wanted to ask about his team, asking about who he got along with best and what he thought their chances were at spring Koushien. He could've sworn he saw her take out her phone (or a notepad) at one point, leaning in closer eagerly. But Asami-san quickly gave her hand a light swat, shooting her an admonishing look.

Akari-san whined, but she reluctantly listened to her older sister, leaning back against the couch and apologizing to him. To his surprise, Asami-san apologized to him, too, causing him to quickly shake his head and tell them not to worry about it.

"Ah, that's right! Kaa-chan wanted to thank you for the gift, Ei-chan!" Akari-san beamed at him.

Much to Mei's irritation, his older sisters had quickly fallen in love with Eijun's nickname, calling it cute and asking if they could use it, too.

Asami-san nodded, sipping some tea. "She said it was perfect, as she wanted to serve us some type of snack before dinner." She gave him a gentle smile.

Eijun resisted the urge to rub the back of his head. "Is that so? I hope it's to your liking."

Mei furrowed his eyebrows. He nudged Eijun's shoulder, raising an eyebrow once he looked at him. "What are they talking about? You brought a snack?"

"Y-Yeah." Eijun hadn't wanted to tell Mei, as he knew what his reaction would be. But it looked like he was going to find out anyway. "I wasn't sure what to bring at first, so I just made a snack that Nagano is famous for."

Mei raised his eyebrows. "You made it?" Eijun nodded, flushing. "What did you make?"

But before Eijun could answer, Mai-san walked back into the living room, holding a tray with more tea and plates with snacks on them.

"Good. You two came down just in time." Mai-san smiled at them, placing the tray on the table in front of them. "I want everyone to have enough room for dinner, but I also wanted to serve some type of snack." She gave her only son a teasing smile. "As I know someone will start complaining that he's hungry and that he can't wait for dinner."

Mei huffed. "It's not my fault that I'm an athlete! I need food to get stronger!"

"Of course, of course," Mai-san said patiently, setting out their cups of tea and the plates with snacks on them. It made Eijun feel as if they've had this conversation multiple times before. "Anyway, I hope you don't mind, Ei-chan," she said, looking at him. "But I heated up your gift so that we can have it as our snack."

Eijun shook his head, smiling softly at her. "Of course I don't mind. I wanted everyone to try it after all. I just hope it's to your liking."

Mei, who was about to ask what he made, looked at the snacks, noticing the familiar dumplings. "Oyaki?"

"Mei's told me about everyone's tastes, so I was careful to make something everyone would like." Eijun gestured to the oyaki on the plates. "One has an anko and sugar filling while the other has a nozawana, sesame oil, and sesame seed filling." He grinned sheepishly at their confused looks. "Ah… Nozawana is a leafy green famous in Nagano. It's usually pickled, but I soaked it in water to de-salt it. I also added some seasoning to it, too."

Mei and his family let out understanding noises, looking between him and the dumplings, almost looking awed.

(Those awed looks were probably just his imagination. It wasn't that difficult to make oyaki. His family used to make it all the time back home.)

Kenji-san cleared his throat, gesturing to the oyaki. "Well? Let's stop staring and dig in."

"It's not much, but please enjoy," Eijun said, glancing over at Mei. "I made a lot, so there's enough for everyone."

At first, Eijun just watched them eat the oyaki, occasionally sipping his warm tea. He blushed at Mei's family's compliments, giving them a bright smile that could rival the sun. When Mei gave him a compliment, his blush darkened, smile growing even brighter (if it were possible).

(He could've sworn he saw Mei's family look at each other, surprised. But that was probably just his imagination.)

Mai-san encouraged him to have some, but he politely refused, saying that it was his gift to them. She seemed to understand, encouraging him to try some mame daifuku instead.

The daifuku were warm and sweet. He could taste the azuki beans that were mixed into the mochi. Their appearance always reminded him of soccer balls for some reason.

He complimented the daifuku, almost melting into the couch at the delicious taste.

Mai-san seemed amused by his reaction, but she still gave him a grateful smile, her smile brightening as he kept eating them.

After they finished the snacks, Mai-san picked up the tray, mentioning that she would start dinner soon.

Before she could leave the room, he got up, causing everyone to look at him. "Would you like help with dinner? I can cut vegetables. Or maybe set the table for you."

She gave him another grateful smile, shaking her head. "Thank you, Ei-chan. But I'll be alright. Please sit down and relax."

He sat back down, flushing when Kenji-san, Asami-san, and Akari-san gave him an approving look.

"So, how was your day, Kenji-san?" Eijun asked a few moments after Mai-san left the room.

Kenji-san looked surprised before giving him a gentle smile. "It was good. Thankfully, we didn't have too many people making mistakes today."

"Mei told me that you work for a large clothing company. What do you like about it?"

Kenji-san blinked a few times, not wanting to admit how that had caught him off guard. "Let me see…" He tapped his chin, causing Eijun to wonder if Mei had learned that gesture from his parents. "It's definitely never dull. And I really like it when I get to escape the office and see our customer's happy faces."

Eijun nodded eagerly. "I know what you mean! I never liked being cooped up inside all day either!"

Akari-san beamed. "I know what you mean! I'd rather be watching some type of sport, gathering information for my next story than be stuck inside trying to describe a baseball field for the hundredth time." She frowned, shaking her head when he furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't ask."

"Come to think of it, Akari-san," he said, tilting his head. "Mei told me that you played baseball in high school. What was that like?"

Mei groaned beside him, shaking his head. "Of course he asked her about that," he muttered.

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows, looking over at him, confused why he reacted like that.

It wasn't until Akari-san started enthusiastically talking about how her experience that he realized why Mei reacted like that.

Akari-san kept talking. And talking. And talking.

It was as if she didn't need to take a breath while speaking.

A few minutes later, Akari-san finally stopped talking, beaming and bouncing in place.

At her expectant look, he realized that she was waiting for him to say something.

He talked a little bit with her, smiling when she talked about playing as a pitcher.

(Not a southpaw pitcher, though. Apparently, Mei was the only left handed person in his whole family. Just like him.)

She even talked about her experience playing at Nationals, causing his eyes to widen. Mei was quick to remind her that she didn't play at Koushien, which made her pout. But she didn't let it get her down long, her smile returning to her face as she told him about her experience, talking about how her team had barely enough players and that they somehow made it to Nationals during her third year of high school.

He couldn't help but smile nostalgically, thinking about his middle school team.

Sure, they never made it to Nationals.

But like Akari-san, they had fun playing baseball.

Even if they never won a game.

And even if they barely had enough players.

Akari-san seemed to notice his expression, asking him if he was alright.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Mei giving him a concerned look, squeezing his hand gently.

He nodded, squeezing his hand back before looking at Akari-san and telling her about his middle school team.

They talked about baseball some more, this time talking about the different guys' teams in Tokyo.

"Hey, Ei-chan. What do you think of Mei's pitching?"

Eijun almost choked on his tea, Mei snickering next to him. "W-What do I think?"

Damn it.

He really didn't want to answer, as he knew it would only boost Mei's already massive ego.

But he couldn't not answer.

That would be rude.

… Might as well go with the truth.

"Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to other baseball players before high school." He laughed loudly at their surprised looks. "To me, it was a lot more fun to play baseball rather than watch it. So I didn't know who Seidou was at the time. Or Inashiro for that matter."

Akari-san gave Mei a teasing grin. "It's too bad Ei-chan didn't go to Inashiro, huh, Mei-chan?"

Mei scoffed, rolling his eyes. "There's no way an Inashiro scout would travel out to the country and recruit a guy like him." Eijun glowered at him. "Especially considering what a horrible pitcher he was at the time."

Eijun huffed, deciding to ignore him lest he started an argument. "Anyway, when I came to Seidou, I had no idea who Mei was. Or how good he was. Until he came to Seidou for a practice game."

Asami-san gave Mei a pitying look. "Aw, Ei-chan didn't even know who you were yet. That must've bothered you," she said in a deadpan tone.

"Shut up! He knows me now!" Mei huffed, glaring at her. "And he likes me and my pitching!"

She rolled her eyes. "What's there to like? Aren't you the same as before?"

"He's different! You of all people know that, Asami-neechan!"

Kenji-san sighed, causing everyone to look at him. He gave his children an admonishing look. "Children, will you quit interrupting and let Eijun speak?"

To Mei's relief, Kenji-san preferred to call Eijun by his name and not his nickname. Kenji-san did look amused when he heard Eijun's nickname, though, but he never told them the reason why.

"I'm sorry."

Eijun's lips twitched despite himself at seeing Mei apologize with his sisters. When Kenji-san looked at him and rolled his eyes good-naturedly, he almost laughed, having to look away from Mei lest he saw how close he was to laughing out loud.

Kenji-san looked as amused as him, gesturing for him to continue.

He shot him a grateful smile. "Honestly, I still don't understand how amazing Mei is yet. But what I do know is that…" He looked over at Mei, smiling softly at the flush on his cheeks. "Mei's amazing. He's such an amazing ace that I find myself wanting to become an ace like him." He couldn't help but remember the summer tournament. "And after watching him pitch against us, I found myself thinking about it again. He's my rival, but he's also my boyfriend, inspiration… and goal."

He looked at Mei's family, feeling Mei's hand squeeze his gently. "Mei belongs on the mound. That's his space, and it's where he shines." His eyes lit up. "They talk about how idols shine on stage, right? Well, that's what Mei does. He shines on the stage that is the baseball field." A determined look came onto his face, causing Mei's family to blink. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. I will catch up to him one day. And I will become the ace."

Silence enfolded the room, Eijun waiting patiently for Mei's family's reaction.

But instead of one of his family members, Mei himself snorted beside him, causing him to look over at him. "I can't believe you just compared me to an idol."

"Hey, that's a good comparison!" Eijun protested. "They have those top idols who everyone knows, right? You're like one of them!"

Mei laughed, giving him an amused look. "It's good to know that you think I can have a career as an idol."

"You could if you want to! Wait…" Eijun frowned, tilting his head. "Can you even sing?"

Mei glared at him. "Who do you think I am? Of course I can sing! I bet I can outsing you at karaoke!"

"You're on. Just to warn you, though… I can sing, too," Eijun said, grinning devilishly.

Mei scoffed, shaking his head. "It won't be anything like my angelic singing, so I don't know why you're even going to bother."

"I can't believe you just used angelic to describe your singing," Eijun said, snorting. "I don't plan on losing, though."

Mei pointed at him. "Sure. Be confident now. You won't feel as confident when you hear my singing." He raised an eyebrow. "So, we're doing this, right?"

Eijun nodded, giving him a determined glare. "Karaoke date. I'm not losing to you."

"That's my line."

Eijun was about to respond, but before he could, a polite cough interrupted their conversation.

He flushed when he belatedly realized who they were with. He looked at Mei's family, noticing that Mei was flushing out of the corner of his eye, almost making him smile.

To his surprise, Mei's family looked amused. Even Asami-san, who had just been arguing with Mei, looked amused.

"Anyway…" Akari-san's voice caused everyone to look at her, surprised. "Let's go back to what we were talking about before."

Kenji-san laughed softly at their embarrassment. "You seem to think highly of my son's pitching, Eijun." He gave him a serious look, causing Eijun to blink. "But what do you think about him as a person?"

"Tou-chan!"

Kenji-san gave Mei an admonishing look. "Quiet, Mei. I'm talking to Eijun."

Mei grumbled under his breath, shooting him an apologetic look.

He gave him a soft smile, squeezing his hand gently before looking at Kenji-san. "Well, Kenji-san, I—"

"This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!" Mai-san raced into the living room, a worried look on her face.

Mei wanted to groan at her horrible timing. "What is it, Kaa-chan?"

"I don't have any honey. How am I supposed to finish dinner without honey?"

Mei hummed before shrugging. "Can't you substitute a different ingredient for it?"

Mai-san gave him an admonishing look. "Mei! You know that in our family, curry is always made with honey."

"Can't someone just go out and buy some?"

But that was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Mai-san's eyes lit up. "Good idea. Mei, could you go down to the store and buy me some honey?"

Mei immediately shook his head, tightening his grip on his hand. "No way. I'm not going out in the cold." He gestured to his sisters and father. "Make one of them go."

"They just got home, Mei." She shook her head at her son. "I don't want to make them go back out into the cold."

"So you'd rather send me? I hate the cold!"

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Where was that attitude earlier?"

"Forget it. I'm not going." Mei flushed for some reason.

She looked like she was about to sigh. "Mei, the store isn't that far away. It won't take you that long. And you can even run the whole time so that you can warm yourself up and be home sooner."

Mei pursed his lips, glaring at her. Several moments later, he huffed, getting up and pulling Eijun up with him. "… Fine. If I have to."

"There's my son who I know and love."

Mei rolled his eyes, looking at Eijun and tugging him. "Come on. Let's get going."

They had only taken a few steps away from the couch when Kenji-san cleared his throat, causing them to stop and look at him.

"What is it, Tou-chan? Can't you see we're about to leave?"

Kenji-san gave him an admonishing look. "Mei. Mai-san asked you. Eijun doesn't need to go with you."

"I'm not leaving without him."

Kenji-san sighed, rubbing his temples. "You won't be gone long. Besides, Eijun's our guest." He raised an eyebrow. "You're really going to make a guest go out with you?"

Honestly?

Mei didn't care.

He wanted Eijun to go with him so that he could protect him from his family.

He wasn't stupid.

He knew they were asking him to go because they wanted some time alone with Eijun.

Well, he wouldn't let them.

So even if he was being rude to a guest, he was going to take Eijun with him.

And damn the consequences.

But before he could say as much, Eijun squeezed his hand gently, getting his attention.

"Mei. I'll stay here."

Mei narrowed his eyes, giving him a disapproving look. "No, you're coming with me."

But unfortunately for him, Eijun let go of his hand, reaching out to push his shoulders. "I'll be alright. You won't be gone long, right?" Mei pursed his lips, nodding reluctantly. "Then it's alright." He gave Mei a soft smile. "Hurry back, okay?"

So unfair.

If he said it like that, how could he protest?

"… Fine." He couldn't help but grab his hand, squeezing gently before letting go. "I'll be right back," he said softly.

Eijun nodded, his hands reaching out and rubbing Mei's clothed arms, as if he were trying to warm them up before he went outside. "Be careful."

"You don't need to tell me that. I wouldn't dare get injured." Mei shivered, looking horrified. "Can you imagine not being able to pitch? My life would be over!"

Eijun thought for a few moments before nodding and giving him a serious look. "You're right." He shivered. "That is pretty scary!"

"Right?"

Eijun's eyes softened. "Hurry back, okay?"

Mei gave him a confident grin, touching his pitching shoulder. "I'll be back as soon as possible." He winked. "I wouldn't want you to miss me too much."

Eijun only shoved him, causing him to laugh loudly.

After giving Eijun one last soft look, he turned around, scowling as he walked past his smug mother.

"Where's my 'I'm going'?"

Mei huffed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her teasing tone. "… I'm going."

"See you later."

Eijun sat back down on the couch carefully, flushing when he noticed everyone's eyes on him. His flush darkened when he belatedly remembered that they watched their moment.

But instead of saying anything, Mei's family waited until they heard the front door slam before looking at him.

"So, Eijun…" Kenji-san said, his serious look catching him off guard. "About what you were saying before…"

Eijun cleared his throat, tempted to wipe his sweaty palms on his pants. "You wanted to know what I think of Mei as a person, right?"

Kenji-san nodded, tapping his chin. "I don't think I have to tell you what kind of person my son is. You probably already know." He gave him a tight smile. "Don't get me wrong. I love my son. But I haven't always been… proud of what he's done. Especially when it comes to his dating history."

"Yeah, Ei-chan. What do you even see in my idiot little brother?" Asami-san said, furrowing her eyebrows.

Mai-san gave him a serious look. "You do know about my son's dating history, right, Ei-chan?"

Eijun nodded. "I don't know all the details, but I know he's dated a lot of people. And that he didn't treat them well."

"But do you know how many people Mei-chan's dated?" Akari-san asked, her rare serious look making him blink. "Because it's a lot."

Eijun slowly shook his head. "I never bothered to ask. And he's never told me how many he's dated either." He thought for a few moments. "He's only told me why his previous relationships never worked out."

"Did he ever say that it was his fault?"

… Ah.

Now he understood what was going on.

He supposed he probably should've expected it, as Mei's family knew a lot more about Mei's dating history than he did.

Mei did tell him that he had been dating people ever since he entered middle school, bragging about how everyone fell in love with his performance on his Senior team and his amazingly good looks, causing him to roll his eyes.

"To tell you the truth, I actually didn't like Mei that much when I first met him. And even when I met him again in the city," Eijun said.

Asami-san scoffed. "I don't blame you."

Mai-san and Kenji-san gave her an admonishing look before looking at him and gesturing for him to continue.

"He was such a jerk." Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, he's still a bit of a jerk now." A smile came onto his face despite himself. "But that day in the city… I got to know him a little better. And as we hung out and… flirted with each other…" He flushed at admitting that to Mei's family. "I found myself wanting to see him again. Wanting to know more about him. I thought I only looked up to him, but I was actually crushing on him. So when Mei talked about going out on another date with me, I was really happy."

He frowned deeply. "But I quickly learned what kind of guy Mei was. He would never apologize, and he would always show up late to our dates. He was such an arrogant and condescending jerk who only thought of himself." He looked down at his lap, clenching his fists despite himself. "It made me wonder sometimes if he really cared about me. And why I was still with him."

"And… things changed?"

He looked at Mei's family. "We had a huge fight." He winced as he remembered what happened, unconsciously cradling his left hand with his right hand, missing the way Mei's family watched him, their eyes narrowing. "Mei said a lot of… mean things, and I honestly didn't know what would happen with our relationship." He relaxed, giving them a soft smile. "But Mei… came back for me. He apologized to me. Just like I knew he would. And since then, Mei's really changed and been there for me."

"And he's… really changed?" Asami-san asked hesitantly.

He nodded, giving her a bright smile. "He really has. He's always been there for me. And will always be there for me in the future. He's so supportive and kind." He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "He's still a bit of a jerk who likes to tease me a lot. And he's still a selfish and condescending brat. But he really does like me and cares deeply about me." He gave her a soft smile. "And I think deep down, you know that he's changed."

Silence enfolded the room, Eijun waiting patiently for their reaction.

His heart raced as he waited, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.

"He's right." He blinked, tilting his head at Asami-san's words, noticing the smile on her face. She almost looked… relieved. "You are impertinent."

Eijun resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Of course Mei would describe him that way to his family.

Kenji-san hummed, causing him to look at him, blinking as a gentle smile came onto his face. "It's obvious you care for him deeply, Eijun." He gave him a teasing grin. "Mei also told us that you can be really honest and a bit of an idiot at times." He laughed as Eijun blushed.

"Yeah, Ei-chan. As a future journalist and Mei-chan's older sister, I really love that you were so honest with us." Akari-san smiled softly, causing his blush to darken. She bounced in place for a few moments. "I can't wait to work on this article!" she squealed, causing him to look at her, horrified. She laughed softly, giving him an amused smile. "I'm just kidding, Ei-chan. I would never write about someone without their consent. And I don't write articles about my family members." She tapped her chin. "Well, unless there's a good reason to, of course. Like Mei-chan's future career as a professional baseball player. Or how Narumiya International is doing."

Eijun felt relieved that she was just kidding. His eyebrows furrowed as he remembered what she said. "Narumiya International?"

"Yeah, that's Kaa-chan and Tou-chan's company!"

To their amusement, Eijun's jaw dropped.

Even he knew Narumiya International.

Narumiya International (also known as Narumiya International Company Limited) was one of the largest clothing companies in Japan. They didn't have a store in Nagano, but he had seen several of them while in Tokyo. And he remembered seeing something about how they had several hundred stores all around the world.

… What the hell?

He had asked Mei one day if he knew that company. And if someone in his family worked there. But Mei had shrugged, telling him that it was a coincidence that the company name was his family name.

And even if Mei didn't feel comfortable telling him back then, what about when he was telling him about his parents' jobs? Or even earlier today?

Stupid Mei.

"Wait… It can't be… Ei-chan, you didn't know Narumiya International is Kaa-chan and Tou-chan's company?"

He shook his head. "Mei never told me the name of the company." He huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "He's such a jerk. He probably did it on purpose." He flushed, belatedly realizing he was with Mei's family. "I mean… I'm sure there's a reason why he didn't tell me."

But to his embarrassment, they only gave him amused smiles.

"Ei-chan." He blinked, looking at Mai-san. "Thank you."

He blinked a few times. "Eh?"

"It's because Mei met you and started liking you that he changed." She smiled sadly. "No matter what we did or said, he refused to listen. He never wanted to think about the other person's feelings. And I…" She placed a hand over her heart. "I kept wishing. Praying that someone will come and not only accept him, but also change him."

He gaped, not sure what to say. "Mai-san…"

"I…" To his horror, she looked away, hiding her face, as if she were about to start crying. "I even started thinking that… it was impossible. That our son would never change."

He quickly got up, searching his pockets for a handkerchief. "Mai-san, I…"

"But then you came." He froze, watching as she looked at him, wiping away tears that formed. "You have no idea how desperately I wanted to believe Mei when he came home and talked about you. I almost couldn't believe Kami-sama heard my prayers." She gave him a gentle smile at his concerned look. "But then I saw how he interacts with you and looks at you. He really likes you. He's changed because…" She shook her head. "He's changed for you." She gave him a bright smile. "And I can't thank you enough. But I'll try to."

His mouth opened and closed a few times.

He… was speechless.

He didn't know what to say.

At her nod, he sat back down, still not knowing what to say. "I… Mai-san, I…" He closed his eyes, huffing at himself. He opened his eyes and nodded. "I'm happy, too, Mai-san. I'm really happy I met Mei." Great. Now he was on the verge of tears. This was so embarrassing, especially since he was with Mei's family. "I… My life wouldn't be the same without him."

Yeah, he probably could've gotten through all those dark moments while he was at Seidou without Mei. And maybe in an alternate universe, he did get through all those dark moments by himself.

But he felt so happy and grateful that Mei was in his life. And that he was there for him no matter what.

"I know we haven't dated each other for that long, but I…" To his embarrassment, he couldn't stop the tears from escaping. "I'm so glad he's in my life. And I hope it stays that way for a long time."

Maybe even forever?

… No, that was… too embarrassing. And too far into the future to think about right now.

(But he wouldn't deny that he loved the thought of Mei never leaving him.)

And although he was the one who was about to offer Mai-san a handkerchief, Mai-san was the one who walked over and sat next to him, holding out a handkerchief. "You really love my son, don't you, Ei-chan?" Her eyes were soft.

To their amusement, he squawked, his face turning red. "L-Love? I don't… What are… That's…"

"You don't love him?"

How could she say that so easily? "I-I don't know if it's… love." He took a deep breath, feeling nervous about admitting something he had only thought about to Mei's family. "But I think in time, it will develop into it."

"So cute," Akari-san said, squealing.

Asami-san nodded, smiling a gentle smile. "Very cute."

Kenji-san sighed, giving them a light admonishing look. "Will you quit teasing him? He's embarrassed enough as it is." Even as he said that, though, an amused grin came onto his face.

Eijun wanted to melt into the couch and never be seen again. If his face could turn a darker red, it would be doing so right now.

Seriously, he was doing so well.

And he had wanted to give them a good first impression.

Getting embarrassed and crying wasn't a very good first impression.

He sniffed, trying to wipe his tears away, not wanting to dirty Mai-san's handkerchief. But when the tears kept coming, he reached out reluctantly for her handkerchief.

But his hand never made it, a familiar and angry voice causing him to freeze.

"What's going on in here?"

He looked over at the entrance to the living room, noticing that Mei had returned from the store.

Mai-san stood up, walking over to him. "Thank you, Mei. Sorry for making you do that. Welcome home." She held onto the plastic bag Mei thrust into her hands, giving him a grateful smile.

Mei took a few steps forward, glowering at his family. "Didn't you hear me? What's going on in here?" His voice rose as he looked at Eijun. "Why is Eijun crying?"

Eijun winced, quickly wiping his tears away and standing up. "Mei, it's not their fault. I just started crying."

"Tell me. Now," Mei demanded, although whether he was directing it toward him or his family, he didn't know.

He quickly made his way over to him, relieved when Mei looked over at him and met him halfway, those blue eyes already softening.

And before anyone could say anything else, Mei grabbed his hand, tugging him after him and out of the room, not listening to his protests.

He looked over his shoulder, hastily bowing his head to apologize to Mei's family.

Mai-san and Kenji-san quickly shook their heads, giving him a kind smile. He didn't get to see Akari-san and Asami-san's reactions, as a wall prevented him from seeing it, but he heard their voices.

"Aw, isn't that cute? I never thought I'd see that Mei-chan so protective of someone," Akari-san said, giggling.

"I know, right? He looked so angry with us. I almost feel bad for Ei-chan," Asami-san said, amused.

"Are you kidding? Mei-chan won't hurt Ei-chan! He likes him too much to do so!"

Mei huffed, looking over his shoulder. "Shut up!" he yelled.

They only giggled, Mei huffing again and turning his head around.

He couldn't help but notice that Mei's ears were red, making him smile.

Mei took him to his room, immediately locking the door behind them.

He was about to speak, but before he could, Mei pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around him.

"I can't believe them!" Mei hissed. "I just knew this would happen!"

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly, reaching out to touch his face. "Mei, it's not their fault. I'm alright."

"Then why are you crying?"

… Great.

Now he had to tell Mei why he was crying.

But it was better than Mei blaming his family for something that wasn't their fault.

He sighed. "I told you. I just started crying. I—"

He gasped as Mei pinned him against the wall next to the door, moaning as Mei gave him a long and hard kiss. He responded to the kiss, wanting to pull him closer, but he couldn't, as Mei was holding his hands.

He whined when Mei pulled away several moments later, chasing after his lips and whining again when Mei didn't kiss him again.

"Eijun." He shivered at how he said his name. "Stop dodging the subject and tell me. Now."

He whined, struggling futilely to get Mei to let him go. "I was thinking about you, you jerk!"

Mei froze, letting go of his hands and moving away from him. "It was my fault?"

He hated how soft his voice was, immediately reaching out and hugging him. "No, it wasn't." Mei blinked, looking confused. "We were talking about you. And I…" He leaned in, kissing his cheek. "I was thinking about how much I like you. How much you mean to me. And… how my life wouldn't be the same without you."

Mei's jaw dropped. "And that's… That's why you started crying?"

He nodded, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Don't apologize!"

He blinked a few times. "Eh?"

"I said don't apologize," Mei said softly, finally wrapping his arms around him. "I should be apologizing for overreacting." His eyes were soft. "I'm glad you're alright." He let go with one arm to gently wipe his tears away.

He flushed at his concern, looking away briefly before looking back. "I'm glad, too." He tightened his grip around him. "I'm glad you got back safe."

This time, Mei flushed, kissing his forehead. "I was just down the street." He gave him a cheeky grin. "Did you miss me that much?"

"Shut up! You're ruining the moment, you ass!"

Mei laughed, eyes softening as he leaned in to make their foreheads touch. "I really wish you could've come." He tightened his grip around him. "It wouldn't have been as boring or as cold if you were with me."

His eyes softened. "I'm here now. Let me help you."

Mei smirked, causing him to blink. "Oh, I can think of many ways you can help me warm up."

Eijun flushed, causing Mei to snicker. "Pervert! I'm not going to do anything like that!"

"Fine, fine." Mei's eyes turned soft again. "Then just cuddle me. That's all I want."

He pulled away, saluting him, as if he were talking to Boss and not Mei. "Roger that!"

Mei laughed again, shaking his head and grabbing his hand. "You're so silly."

As they made their way over to Mei's bed, he belatedly remembered Mei's family, squeezing his hand gently to get his attention. "We can't stay up here the whole time. What about your family?"

"They can wait. They should know that we'll want some time alone," Mei said, huffing.

His lips twitched despite himself. "I'm supposed to be polite and make a good first impression, you know?"

"You've already made a great first impression on them, don't worry," Mei said, looking at him and smiling softly, causing him to smile gratefully. "Besides…" He grinned cheekily. "You're supposed to be showing them how much you like me. What better way to do that than to take care of your cold boyfriend?"

A laugh escaped despite himself. "I don't think that's how it works!"

Mei shrugged, stopping next to his bed and letting go so that he could remove his winter coat, scarf, and gloves. He climbed onto his bed, waiting for him to join him before wrapping his arms around him again. "It should." He pulled him close, breathing in his scent. "You smell so good."

"Don't try anything funny."

Mei huffed. "I won't, I promise. All I want is to cuddle." He gave him a quick gentle kiss. "We'll just stay up here until dinnertime. Until then, you belong to me."

"I'm all yours," Eijun said, moving closer before giving him the soft smile he reserved for him.

Mei almost moaned, tempted to break his promise.

Kami-sama, Eijun telling him that he was his was so hot.

So sexy.

And it was really turning him on.

But although he felt hot and bothered (and wanted to do something about it), he didn't move, settling for cuddling his boyfriend.

(He would have to try to convince him later. He did give Eijun that offer earlier. Maybe he'll take him up on it? Because he really didn't want to wait until tomorrow. Even if they would be back in his dorm room and away from his family.

They stayed in his room, cuddling on his bed until dinnertime, Mei pouting when Mai-san told them that dinner was ready and complaining that time passed way too quickly.

Eijun snickered as Mei cursed at the time, as if he hoped cursing at it would change things.

They made their way downstairs, Eijun bowing deeply once he caught sight of Mei's family looking at him, apologizing for his rudeness.

Mai-san asked if he was alright now, causing him to nod and give them a bright smile.

While dinner was delicious, it was uneventful besides Mei's family teasing him and Mei some more. They also got to know each other a little better, Eijun and Mei's family taking turns to ask questions and make comments.

Surprisingly, Mei didn't speak a lot, only speaking when one of his family members teased him. He couldn't help but glance at him when he thought his family wasn't looking, concerned. At some point, Mei noticed him and smiled softly, squeezing his hand gently under the table.

After everyone finished, Eijun offered to wash the dishes, wanting to help in some way and make up for his rudeness earlier.

Mai-san was reluctant to accept his offer at first, but she eventually agreed, giving him a grateful smile.

Mei huffed, stomping his foot. "I'm washing the dishes with Eijun. Everyone else, get out."

"No, I wantto wash dishes with Ei-chan!" Akari-san whined.

Asami-san placed her hands on her hips. "Don't be so selfish, Mei." She walked over, placing a hand on Eijun's shoulder. "I'm washing the dishes with Ei-chan."

"You're the one who's selfish!" Mei and Akari-san whined.

"What was that?"

Eijun watched the siblings argue, and while he felt amused, he couldn't help but wonder if he should try to break them up.

But before he could try, Kenji-san cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at him. "I'm washing the dishes with Eijun. Everyone else, get out."

"But Tou-chan!" the Narumiya children whined.

"Now." His expression brooked no argument.

The Narumiya children huffed, Mei stomping his foot.

But everyone listened to Kenji-san, reluctantly making their way out of the kitchen and back to the living room.

Mei lingered by the exit, pouting when Eijun shooed him away.

"Mei." Mei jumped at Kenji-san's voice, looking over at him. But Kenji-san wasn't even looking at him, his back facing him. "'Everyone else' includes you."

When Mei narrowed his eyes, probably about to argue, Eijun blew him a kiss, grinning devilishly when Mei flushed, giving him a wide-eyed look.

Mei rolled his eyes good-naturedly, pretending to catch it and bringing it to his lips.

And then he left the kitchen, leaving him alone with Kenji-san.

They washed the dishes in silence, Eijun glancing at him and wondering if it was alright to speak.

"Eijun."

He jumped at Kenji-san's voice, relieved he wasn't holding any of the expensive looking china dishes in his hands. "What is it, Kenji-san?"

"I wanted to wash the dishes with you because I wanted to speak to you. Alone."

He almost gulped, feeling his heart speed up as he looked over at him. "About what?"

Kenji-san didn't speak for several moments, washing the last dish and waiting for him to dry it before speaking. "About Mei."

Eijun turned to face him, surprised by the serious look on his face. "Kenji-san, I…"

Kenji-san turned to face him, shaking his head before giving him a gentle smile. "Don't worry. It's nothing bad." Eijun instantly relaxed. "I wasn't sure if I was going to tell you this. But seeing as you really like my son, I feel like I have to tell you."

When he didn't speak again, Eijun tilted his head. "Tell me what?"

Kenji-san frowned. "Wait… I have to tell you something else first." And then to his shock, he bowed his head to him.

"K-Kenji-san?"

Kenji-san kept his head bowed. "I know Mai-san's already told you this, but… Thank you. Thank you for meeting my son. For accepting him. And for… changing him." He lifted his head up, giving him a sad smile. "He refused to listen to any of us. None of us know why he suddenly started mistreating the people he dated."

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows.

They didn't know?

"I wish I could've done something." Kenji-san clenched his fists, looking ashamed. "But I couldn't do anything. I couldn't help Mei. And I couldn't reassure Mai-san that everything would be alright." He relaxed, giving him another gentle smile. "I may have failed as a father and as a husband. But I am really happy you changed him. I can't thank you enough. But I'll try to."

Eijun immediately shook his head. "Kenji-san, I…" He took a deep breath. "Maybe it isn't right for me to say this, but… You did help." Kenji-san's eyes widened. "You didn't fail as a father or as a husband. You're still here, aren't you?" He gestured to the house. "You and the rest of your family waited for the real Mei to come back. And when he did, you welcomed him back."

"Eijun…"

Eijun gave him a bright smile. "Mei's told me a lot about you guys. He's always bragging or telling me anecdotes about something that happened. Mei loves you guys just as much as you guys love him." He gave him a reassuring smile. "And I'm sure Mai-san knows that you tried your best and appreciates that you stuck by her side the whole time."

Kenji-san stared at him, eyebrows furrowing.

And to Eijun's confusion, he didn't say anything for several moments.

But before he could start worrying he went too far and apologize, Kenji-san laughed.

He gaped as Kenji-san continued to laugh.

It was such a booming laugh, causing him to wonder if everyone else could hear him from the living room.

Kenji-san chuckled, wiping away tears that formed. "I'm sorry, Eijun. I don't know what came over me." He gave him a gentle smile. "You're very kind. I can see why Mei likes you so much." Eijun flushed, causing him to laugh softly. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you should really consider marrying my son."

To his amusement, Eijun's jaw dropped. His face was as red as his sweater. "M-Marry? I… What's… That's… W-We're still in high school!"

Kenji-san laughed. "I know that you're still in high school, Eijun. I was talking about getting married after you graduate."

"I… I don't…" Eijun took a deep breath. "We haven't even talked about what we're going to do after high school." He frowned deeply, causing Kenji-san to blink. "I don't even know if we'll still be together."

Kenji-san hummed, tapping his chin. "Well, you could always marry Akari-san or Asami-san."

"I only have eyes for Mei!" Eijun burst out, causing him to wince. He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I don't mean any disrespect. Asami-san and Akari-san are great people and beautiful women." He placed a hand over his heart, gripping his sweater. "But this… I want Mei." His face was still red, but he kept eye contact, wanting Kenji-san to understand. "Only Mei will do."

Kenji-san nodded, giving him a soft smile. "You have nothing to worry about, Eijun." Eijun blinked a few times. "Mei really likes you." Kenji-san gave him a cheeky grin, catching him off guard (because that was Mei's cheeky grin). "Us Narumiya men are famous for being possessive. And for knowing what we want. And Mei wants you."

While some part of Eijun wanted to snort at learning that being possessive ran in Mei's family, he couldn't help but remember what he said earlier, causing his eyes to widen. "Um, Kenji-san… I wasn't trying to… I didn't mean… I'm not here to ask for your permission."

Kenji-san laughed that booming laugh from earlier. "I know you're not, Eijun." He looked at his outfit pointedly. "You would be wearing a suit if you were."

… Was that normal?

Or was that a rich people thing?

Kenji-san chuckled at his baffled look, gesturing for him to follow. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I'm sorry for unloading all that stuff onto you. Thank you for listening." He smiled gently. "Let's return to the living room."

And while Eijun still felt confused and embarrassed, he nodded.

Mei and the rest of his family looked up when they entered the living room, Mei's eyebrows furrowing at his red face and Kenji-san's gentle smile.

He sat next to Mei, Mei's hand immediately holding his and squeezing gently, causing him to look over.

"Is everything alright?" Mei asked in a low concerned voice, not wanting the others to overhear.

He nodded, giving his hand a squeeze back. "Everything's great."

Mei studied him carefully to make sure he wasn't lying. A few moments later, he breathed a sigh of relief, giving him his soft smile.

They talked some more, Eijun telling them about his teammates and anecdotes about Nagano.

When it was time for bed, Eijun asked about sleeping arrangements, wanting to know if it was alright that he slept with Mei in his room.

And that he could sleep on the couch or in a guest room instead.

Mei whined, tugging at his hand and telling him that he wouldn't let him sleep somewhere else.

Mai-san and Kenji-san agreed with Mei, telling him that he should sleep with Mei in his room, even insisting on it when he hesitated to accept.

Mei let go of his hand, telling him that he could take a bath first and to wait for him in his room after he finished.

When Mei's family agreed, he reluctantly got up, bowing to Mei's family before leaving the room and telling them goodnight.

He sighed, lying on his side on Mei's bed with his back facing the door.

The bath was warm.

And so wide.

It was like a hot spring.

While today didn't go according to plan, he felt happy with how it turned out.

Mei's family seemed to really like him and maybe even approved of him.

He flushed, remembering what Kenji-san said about marrying Mei one day.

… Did Mei's family really think he was going to marry him one day?

He didn't even know what Mei thought of marriage, much less marrying him.

And yet…

Mei always looked so handsome in whatever he wore.

And he would probably look very handsome in the black wedding kimono.

His flush darkened.

… What was he thinking?

He jumped as a cold hand touched the back of his neck, forcing him out of his thoughts. He turned his head, unsurprised to see Mei snickering as he sat next to him on his bed.

"I tried to call out to you, but you couldn't hear me." Mei gave him an amused grin. "What were you thinking about?"

Eijun immediately shook his head, not wanting to tell him.

Mei frowned, watching as he sat up. "You can't tell me?"

Eijun almost gave in, hating that sad and hurt look in his eyes. "Not… Not now." If Kenji-san was right, then… "I'll tell you one day."

Maybe not anytime soon.

But one day for sure.

"I see." He blinked as Mei gave him a small smile. "Then I'll wait for you to tell me."

His eyes widened. "You will?"

"I don't like that you're keeping secrets from me. But if you say that you'll tell me eventually…" Mei shrugged, smiling softly. "Then I'll wait."

He tackled him, wrapping his arms around him, causing Mei to laugh. "Thank you. I promise I'll tell you one day."

Mei's soft smile remained on his face. "Well, you know me. I'm not going anywhere." He wrapped his arms around him, keeping him close.

He wasn't sure how much time passed before Mei nudged him, causing him to pull away enough so that he could look at him.

"What did you think of my family?"

He gave him a bright smile, unable to stop himself from bouncing in place. "I really like them! I'm glad you introduced me to them!"

Mei laughed at his enthusiasm, shaking his head fondly. "I'm glad." He argued with himself for several moments before nodding to himself and giving him a serious look. "You're not just saying that, right? I know they teased you a lot."

"They did, but it's alright. They didn't make me uncomfortable if that's what you're asking."

Mei breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case, I'm really happy you met them. I was worried they would make you uncomfortable."

"You worry too much," he said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

Mei huffed. "Can you blame me? Akari-neechan and Asami-neechan kept teasing us. I told them not to tease you too much. But of course they didn't listen."

His lips twitched. "Now I know where you get that from."

"Are you kidding? I'm nothing like them," Mei said, scoffing.

Eijun didn't agree, but he decided not to argue, sensing that Mei wouldn't listen to him. "By the way…" He grinned devilishly, causing Mei to blink. "You told your family that I'm impertinent, really honest, and a bit of an idiot at times? What kind of boyfriend are you?"

Mei snickered, giving him a cheeky grin. "It's true, though." Eijun huffed. "So you were all those things with my family?" Eijun flushed. "When was this? When I was at the store?"

Eijun nodded reluctantly. "We were talking about you, and I…" He smiled sheepishly. "I got caught up in the moment."

"I'm not surprised." Mei snorted. He furrowed his eyebrows, remembering something Eijun said earlier. "Come to think of it… You said that earlier, too. That talking about me made you cry. Why were you guys talking about me?"

"… That's not important," Eijun muttered, looking away from him.

He knew trying to avoid the subject wouldn't work.

Because this was Mei.

But he also really didn't want to tell him why they were talking about him.

Predictably, Mei huffed, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at him. "Tell me. Now," he demanded.

"They…" He sighed. "We were talking about your… dating history."

Mei's eyes darkened. He scoffed, letting go of his chin and looking away from him. "Oh, you were, huh?" He tightened his grip around him before looking at him again. "Did they tell you all the details? How everything was my fault?" he spat. "Did they tell you to stay away from me?"

He shook his head furiously. "No, that's not what happened. They—"

He gasped as Mei tackled him onto his bed, looking up at him wide-eyed.

"Do you want to hear everything that happened?" Mei leaned in, kissing his neck and making him moan and tilt his head to give him better access. Mei hummed, kissing up and down his neck. "Do you want to hear how I treated all those people before you? Do you really want to hear about all my exes?"

He gasped as Mei's hands went under his shirt and touched his skin. "No, that's not…" He covered his mouth with his hands as those hands touched his nipples, letting out another moan. "That's not important. You're…" He gasped as Mei's hands twisted his nipples, leaning into the touch. "You're with… me now."

Mei paused, almost making him groan despite himself. "Not important? What do you mean?"

"They didn't tell me anything I didn't already know." He reached out, holding his face with his hands. "You're not that guy anymore. You've changed."

Mei blinked a few times, as if this were his first time hearing that. "You…" He frowned, letting go of his nipples to hold his hands in place. "I have? You… believe that?"

He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or not.

His boyfriend was so annoying sometimes.

"You haven't realized it?" He gave him a soft smile. "Have you ever treated any of your exes the way you've been treating me?"

Mei thought for several moments before slowly shaking his head. "I haven't." He snorted. "I hardly cared about any of them. And I never liked any of them the way I like you."

Eijun's soft golden eyes resembled honey. "And your family realize that. You're not the same guy who only cares about himself and doesn't care who he hurts." He gently stroked his cheek with his thumb. "They're really happy you're back."

Mei leaned in, giving him a soft and gentle kiss before pulling away. His eyes were so soft that it took his breath away. "Well, that's all thanks to you." He kissed his cheek, lips lingering there for a few moments before pulling away. "They should be thanking you."

"They did." Mei blinked a few times. "They were so happy and so grateful. It…" Eijun flushed. "It made me speechless."

Mei gasped, eyes widening. "Was that why you were crying?"

"It's like I told you earlier. My life wouldn't be the same without you." He already knew what Mei's reaction would be, but… "I'm so glad you're in my life. And I hope it stays that way for a long time."

Predictably, Mei smirked a smug smirk. "I'm not surprised. I am the prince after all." He reached out to swat him, but Mei grabbed his hands, kissing the back of them. "But yeah. I feel the same as you." He gave him his soft smile. "You said 'a long time'. How long is that?"

Eijun flushed, remembering his thoughts from earlier. "I-I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

He wasn't ready to tell him that he never wanted him to leave.

"Then let me put it this way…" Mei kissed the spot where his heart was before looking at him. "This heart of yours… I never want to break it. I don't want anyone else to have it."

… Was he saying what he thought he was saying?

Surely not.

(What was Mei thinking? They were still in high school! What about baseball?)

He couldn't help but notice that Mei didn't bring up that he lied, causing him to feel relieved.

Mei laughed softly for some reason, kissing his forehead. "I feel like I keep repeating myself to you. But I don't mind it too much." He squeezed his hands gently. "Since I always mean it."

"Eh? Mean what?"

Mei rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Surely you haven't forgotten?" He held up their joined hands for him to see. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Eijun's eyes shined at his words. But instead of saying something, he pulled him closer, letting go to wrap his arms around him and burying his face in his shoulder.

Mei shook his head fondly, keeping one arm around him while his free hand ran his fingers through his hair.

… Never mind.

Mei wasn't… Mei didn't…

He felt a little silly for overreacting.

(All this talk about marriage today was making him paranoid. Of course Mei wouldn't… propose to him. What was he thinking?)

Eijun pulled away, and when Mei's eyes met his, he couldn't help but lean up and kiss him.

It was such a soft and gentle kiss.

He felt so comfortable, safe, and… happy in Mei's arms.

He really didn't want him to leave him.

Mei pulled away several moments later, causing him to whine. He gave him a cheeky grin. "Where's my response? Did you forget about it?"

"Of course I didn't forget about it!" Eijun protested, causing him to snicker. "I… I don't want anyone else to have your heart either." He smiled the soft smile he reserved for him. "I'm here. And I don't plan on leaving you."

Mei snickered. "That sounds awfully like a proposal." He smirked as Eijun squawked, his face turning red. "I didn't know you want to marry me."

"That's not… I was… Don't misunderstand…" Eijun huffed, glaring at him. "I wasn't proposing to you."

Mei pouted, sniffing exaggeratedly. "So you don't want to marry me. I'm going to cry."

Eijun pinched him, causing him to yelp. "Stop messing around, you jerk. This is a big deal."

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry." Mei grinned at his suspicious look. "Then how about we… forget about what just happened?"

Eijun glowered at him. "If you're teasing me again…"

"I'm really not." Mei gave him a soft smile. "Look. I'm sorry, okay? Let's just forget about what happened."

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "And… you're alright with that?"

"Well, we don't know what the future holds, right?" Mei shrugged, grabbing one of his hands with his free hand and squeezing it gently. "That's why… Let's just put it on hold."

"On hold?"

Mei gave him a bright grin. "Let's wait a few years. And if we're still together, we can talk about it then. Does that sound good?"

On hold…

Meaning they would get back to it eventually.

He gave him a bright smile that could rival the sun. "That sounds good to me!"

Mei nodded, giving him an unrecognizable look.

For some reason, that look made goosebumps form.

Like he was about to watch Mei pitch.

And yet, it felt private.

Like that look was just for him.

Almost as if Mei were… thinking the same thing as him.

Being on the receiving end of that look and all his soft looks were going to make him think that Mei loved him.

But that was just his imagination.

(… Right?)

Mei laughed, causing him to blink. "I just remembered. I never asked you about your prowess as a cook."

He flushed, tempted to look away from him. "That's not… I'm not… 'Prowess' isn't the word I would use," he muttered.

"What do you mean?"

He let go with one arm, rubbing the back of his head. "Oyaki is… one of the only things I can make." Mei blinked a few times. "We've made it so many times back home that I know how to make it. But other than that, I can't cook."

And like he knew Mei would, Mei laughed uncontrollably, letting go with one arm to hit the pillow beside his head repeatedly.

He glowered at him, but Mei kept laughing, bowing his head and lying his head on his chest. "I'm going to hit you."

Mei finally stopped laughing, pulling away to grin cheekily. "I should've known it was something like that. I'm not surprised you can't cook."

"Wait and see! I'll get better and blow you away!"

Mei smirked, giving him a suggestive look. "Is that a promise?"

This… jerk was deliberately egging him on.

He didn't even believe he could do it.

Well, he'll show him.

"Of course it is! I'll definitely make something delicious!"

Mei's eyes softened as he gave him a soft smile, catching him off guard. "Then I'm looking forward to it. It's all for me, right?"

He immediately nodded, clearing his throat. "I'll only cook for you." He thought for a few moments. "Well, I'll have to practice first. And I might get some of my teammates to try it." Mei pouted. "But other than that, it's all yours."

Mei huffed, not liking the idea of Kazuya eating Eijun's cooking.

(He did feel a little better knowing that Eijun's teammates would only get to sample it and try the ones Eijun messed up. And not the actual dish.)

"But you're only cooking for me, right?" he pressed. "Only I get to eat the finished dish?"

Eijun nodded again, giving him his smile. "Of course!" He bumped his chest with a fist. "I'll even protect it from my teammates so that you're the only one who gets to eat it!"

Mei snickered, kissing the top of his hand. "As expected of the prince's knight."

"Quit calling me that, you jerk!"

Mei laughed. "But it's a good nickname for you. It suits you perfectly."

"… You're just making fun of me," Eijun muttered. His eyes narrowed. Speaking of things that irritated him… "Why didn't you tell me that your parents' company is Narumiya International?"

Mei gave him an innocent grin. "I never told you?"

Jerk.

"I was so embarrassed. Did you do it on purpose?" His voice was soft, and he hated how hurt he sounded.

Mei immediately shook his head, kissing his forehead. "I didn't. I know how important tonight is. I would never try to tarnish what my family think of you."

… It was so unfair how sweet Mei could be at times. He could already feel his chest growing warm. "Then why?"

"Part of it was… like I told you before." Mei looked ashamed. "I didn't want you to think differently of me. I was going to tell you, but I didn't have the time to."

He wanted to argue that that was no excuse.

If Mei wasn't so horny earlier, he could've told him then.

Or even when they were cuddling on his bed.

… But he couldn't.

His ashamed look made his heart clench, and he found he… didn't want to see Mei look that ashamed anymore.

He pulled him closer, kissing his forehead. "I forgive you. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It's alright." Mei gave him an almost hesitant look. "My family… They didn't… give you a hard time, did they?"

He snorted, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "I think they were more amused if anything."

Mei almost snickered, as he could imagine how Eijun had reacted. "That's good."

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows, remembering something that happened earlier.

"What is it?"

Eijun hummed, giving him a contemplative look. "About earlier… Why did you insist on walking through the cold? We could've taken the bus, you know."

To his surprise, Mei flushed, looking away from him. "It's no big deal. It wasn't that cold," he muttered.

"Like I believe that."

Mei looked at him, his ears turning pink. "… For you."

He blinked a few times. "Eh?"

"It was for you," Mei said in a low voice. "When we met up at Inashiro, you were so nervous." He smiled fondly as Eijun flushed. "I didn't think I would have enough time to calm you down if we took the bus."

He gave him an incredulous look. "And you thought seeing your house wouldn't make me more nervous?"

"I already apologized for that!" Mei whined. He huffed, looking away from him. "Anyway, I did it for you, okay?" He looked back at him, pouting. "I braved the cold for you. Where's my reward?"

He laughed softly, giving him a devilish grin. "Isn't seeing me happy reward enough?"

"Eijun!"

He chuckled even as he shivered, pulling him closer. "Well, first, I'll say thank you. That was really sweet of you." A mischievous gleam entered his eyes. "We should tell your family."

"Over my dead body."

Eijun almost laughed again, kissing his cheek. "Come on. I'm sure they'll love it." When Mei only gave him a dirty look, he snickered. "Fine, fine. You know I'm just kidding." He tapped his chin. "How should I reward you?"

Mei gave him a heated look, leaning in to kiss his neck, causing him to moan and tilt his head. "I'm sure you can think of something."

He gasped as Mei removed his shirt, kissing up and down his neck. "This… This isn't what I had in mind."

"Is it bad if I want this for my reward?" Mei paused, looking up at him.

He shivered again, although this time, he wasn't sure if it was because of Mei's fingers touching his bare skin or seeing the lust in his eyes. "It's not… bad. But…" He glanced at the closed door. "What about your family?"

"They won't hear us if we're quiet." Mei smirked. "Weren't you going to prove that you can be quiet?"

He glared. "That's not…" He gasped as Mei kissed his pitching shoulder. "That was for something else."

"Oh? So you're saying we can do something as long as it's not sex?" Mei's smirk widened.

He quickly covered his mouth as Mei bit one of his nipples, moaning. "D-Don't get any ideas."

"Too late." Mei tugged at his pants, kissing his waist. "Is this alright?" He paused, looking up at him. "I'm not forcing you into anything, am I?"

It was embarrassing to admit it, but… "I would stop you if I didn't want it. You've never forced me into doing anything I didn't want to do."

Mei's eyes lit up. He gave him a quick kiss before kissing down his chest, tugging at his pants again. "Then it's alright if I touch down here?" He smirked. "I can feel how excited you are."

"What about the bet? Does this count as me giving in?"

Mei hummed, tapping his chin. "Technically, this is part of my reward. It's not part of our bet." He winked, giving him a suggestive look. "We can continue the bet tomorrow."

This jerk seriously planned on winning.

(Even when he almost gave in earlier.)

We'll see about that.

Eijun nodded, gesturing toward his pants. "Then go ahead." He grinned devilishly. "I plan on doing the same to you after you finish."

Mei snickered, kissing his chin. "Of course. It's only fair." He winked again. "And I would've requested it as part of my reward anyway."

"And you knew I would agree, huh?"

Mei grinned cheekily, grabbing one of his hands and kissing the top of it. "What can I say? I know you well."

Eijun wanted to hate how confident he looked, flushing at the tender touch to his pitching hand.

But it was the truth.

He liked Mei so much.

And they had been dating for a little over seven months.

It was no wonder Mei knew him well.

(He wouldn't be surprised if Mei knew him better than most (if not all) of his teammates.)

He would show him.

Even if Mei were… touching him, he'll be quiet.

This was one bet Mei wouldn't win.

ZZZ

Mei had told him to pack some exercise clothes, saying that he could take him on his morning jogging route if they woke up early enough.

So the next morning, although Eijun felt really comfortable, warm, and safe in Mei's arms (and in his king size bed), he got up with him, joining him on his morning run.

When they got back, they had breakfast with Mei's family, Mai-san complaining about having to go into work on a Sunday.

His lips twitched despite himself.

He could see where Mei got that part of him from.

After breakfast, they met outside in the garden, Mai-san and Kenji-san requesting some time alone with him before they left.

And while Mei huffed, grumbling under his breath, he stomped over to where Akari-san and Asami-san were checking on the bonsai trees.

He shook his head fondly, smiling softly despite himself as he watched Mei. He looked back at Mai-san and Kenji-san, almost jumping when he saw them watching him.

"Eijun, I'm really glad we were able to meet you." Kenji-san smiled gently. "And I know I already said this but thank you for everything."

He immediately shook his head. "I didn't do anything special." He gave them a bright smile. "And I'm really glad I was able to meet all of you, especially after everything Mei's told me."

"You're such a polite and humble boy." Mai-san smiled softly at him, causing him to flush. She sighed, causing him to blink. "Why couldn't my son turn out like you?"

Eijun almost snickered, lips twitching despite himself when he noticed Mei glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. "He wouldn't be Mei if he acted like me." His flush darkened when they gave him amused looks. "I-I mean… You shouldn't worry, Mai-san. Mei was really polite around my family."

"Thank you, Ei-chan. I feel a little relieved hearing that."

Kenji-san gave him a cheeky grin. "Well, I'm certain we'll see Eijun again. And maybe one day, we'll be welcoming him into the family."

Eijun squawked, causing them to laugh, the loud sounds getting the Narumiya siblings' attention and causing them to look over, curious. "What are you… I'm not… We're not…"

Kenji-san laughed again, patting him on his shoulder. "I know, I know. You're not here to marry my son." He gave him another cheeky grin. "Yet."

"Kenji, you didn't…?" Mai-san looked at him, narrowing her eyes. When Kenji-san only gave her an innocent grin, she groaned, turning her head to look at him. "I'm sorry for my husband, Ei-chan." Eijun immediately shook his head, face red. "But I do agree with him, you know."

Kenji-san gave her a knowing look. "I knew you would." He resisted the urge to laugh again when he noticed Eijun avoiding their eyes. "Thank you for accepting our invitation, Eijun. We enjoyed having you over."

"Thank you very much for inviting me. Everything was delicious. Sorry for the intrusion," Eijun said, bowing deeply.

Mai-san hummed, tapping her chin. "I feel as though I don't need to say this, but…" Eijun blinked, straightening up. "Can you promise us that you'll continue looking after him?"

"I promise. I don't plan on leaving him anytime soon. And as long as Mei still wants me in his life, I won't leave."

To his surprise, Mai-san and Kenji-san bowed to him, causing him to gape when he noticed it was a deeper bow than when he met them. "Then we leave him in your care. Please continue protecting him and making him happy."

Eijun gaped for a few more moments before hastily bowing deeper than them. "Of course. I'll do my best."

Once they straightened, they smiled at him softly.

"If you're ever in the neighborhood, please come visit us again, Ei-chan. With or without Mei," Mai-san said.

… Mei's parents were so nice!

Why was Mei so worried they wouldn't like him?

"Thank you very much. I'll make sure to remember that," Eijun said, giving them a bright smile.

They gave him one last smile before looking over at their children, gesturing for Mei to come over.

Mei quickly walked over, glancing between Eijun and his parents. "Is everything alright? What's going on?"

Kenji-san shook his head. "We're done talking to Eijun. We wanted to talk to you before we left." He looked at Eijun. "If that's alright?"

Eijun nodded, giving them another bow. "Of course. I'll go say goodbye to Akari-san and Asami-san." He gave Mei a soft smile, gently knocking his left shoulder into his own as he walked past.

Mei watched him leave, almost huffing when his sisters lit up at seeing Eijun walk toward them, reaching for his hands eagerly to show him around the garden.

"Mei."

He almost jumped, looking over at his dad. "What is it, Tou-chan?"

"I wanted to let you know that I…" Tou-chan looked over at Kaa-chan, smiling gently. "I mean, we approve of Eijun."

For some reason, he was getting the feeling that Tou-chan was talking about something more than just approving his choice in his boyfriend.

(He wasn't sure why, though.)

He gave them a hopeful look. "You do?"

"It's obvious you two like each other a lot," Kaa-chan said, smiling softly.

He almost wanted to laugh.

He felt so happy his parents approved of Eijun.

(Not that there was any doubt. Everyone liked Eijun.)

He gave them a bright grin. "I'm so glad! Thank you!"

"But Mei…"

He almost gulped when they suddenly narrowed their eyes. "W-What is it?"

He felt as if he were a little kid again.

Why did they look so angry with him?

"Promise us that you'll look after Eijun."

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be saying that to him and not me?"

"We already did." He wasn't surprised. "Look, we don't know what happened between you two in the past. But if you hurt him again, we won't forgive you."

If he knew he wouldn't get in trouble, Mei would've given them an incredulous look.

They were his parents.

Not Eijun's.

(How did Eijun do it? His parents barely knew Eijun, and yet they were threatening him, their son, as if they were very close to him.)

It was crazy.

… Wait.

Again…

They knew about what happened. And how he hurt Eijun.

Eijun must've told them.

He did say that they talked about his dating history.

So maybe Eijun had been trying to get them to see how he changed?

And while he didn't know how much Eijun told them, he nodded, giving them a serious look. "I promise I'll look after him." He frowned deeply, looking at the ground. "I can't promise that I won't hurt him again." He looked back up. "But I'll do my best not to. Because I hate seeing him cry. And it… hurts when I hurt him." He gave them a small smile. "I want him to be happy."

Silence enfolded them, his parents giving him a scrutinizing look.

He met their gazes, allowing them to search his eyes for any dishonesty.

"I see." He relaxed as they gave him warm smiles. "I'm glad to hear that."

He almost breathed a sigh of relief. "Then…"

Tou-chan gave him a cheeky grin. "You know, Mei. I already told Eijun this, but you really should consider marrying him."

To his embarrassment, he squawked, causing his sisters and Eijun to look over at him, curious. He felt his face heating up. "You… You told Eijun what?"

"I agree with him, you know, Mei," Kaa-chan said, causing him to gape. "We can see the way you two look at each other. I wouldn't be surprised if Eijun loves you."

… Seriously, what was with his parents and Eijun's parents saying that so… easily?

He rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know if he… loves me." He tapped his chin. "But I do like the idea of keeping Eijun to myself and never letting him go." He gave them a soft smile. "I'll think about it, Tou-chan."

Kaa-chan and Tou-chan gave each other a knowing look, smiling softly at each other.

They called out to Eijun and his sisters, telling his sisters that it was time to leave.

He furrowed his eyebrows as his sisters gave soft smiles to Eijun, patting him on the shoulder before waving to him.

And while Eijun's face was red, he gave them a bright smile and a deep bow.

After everyone else left, he looked over at Eijun, frowning. "What were you and Akari-neechan and Asami-neechan talking about?"

"They showed me around the garden."

He shook his head, almost groaning. "No, that's not what I meant." Eijun gave him a baffled look. "Before they left. Your face was red."

Eijun flushed, giving him a soft smile. "They asked me to look out for you. And…" He rubbed the back of his head. "They gave me their phone numbers." He grinned devilishly at his surprised look. "They said that if you ever hurt me or if I ever got fed up, all I had to do was call them."

"What! I can't believe them!" Mei huffed, tempted to let go and cross his arms in front of his chest. But unfortunately, that sounded like something his sisters would do. "You're not actually going to do it, are you?"

Eijun's devilish grin remained on his face. "Well, they do know you really well. Maybe they could talk some sense into you." At his betrayed look, he snickered, squeezing his hand gently. "Relax. I won't tell them anything. Our relationship is none of their business."

He huffed, squeezing his hand. "You better not."

"I won't, I promise."

He raised an eyebrow at Eijun furrowing his eyebrows, looking at him as if he wanted to ask something. "What is it?"

"What were you and your parents talking about?"

He flushed, remembering what they said. "They told me that they really like you. And… that they approve of you."

"I'm glad. I'm really glad to hear that," Eijun said, breathing a sigh of relief.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "You really thought they wouldn't like you?"

"Well, I was really rude," Eijun said sheepishly.

He tugged him closer as the wind blew, shivering. "And I told you that was my fault. They didn't think you were rude at all."

Eijun gave him his smile, moving closer so that they were walking with almost no space between them. "I'm glad."

He argued with himself for several moments, watching him speculatively. "Have you…"

"Eh?"

It was embarrassing, but he couldn't get his mind off what his parents said. More specifically, what Tou-chan said about marrying Eijun one day. "Have you ever thought about how forever is a long time?"

And at first, he thought Eijun would give him a strange look. Or even call him an idiot for asking such a stupid question.

But Eijun did neither of those things.

Eijun gasped, eyes widening. Mei had trouble breathing as Eijun's golden eyes sparkled with happiness and wonder. "Yeah, I have!"

… Was he missing something?

Why did Eijun look so happy?

Maybe Eijun did want to marry him.

He shook his head, causing Eijun to give him a confused look.

… No, that was too soon.

He couldn't propose now.

He remembered what he told Eijun last night.

On hold.

They had decided to put this conversation on hold.

Meaning they would get back to it eventually.

He would have to be content with that for now.

And yet…

"We're not breaking up, right?"

Eijun still looked confused, but he immediately shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere." He held up their joined hands, kissing the back of his hand. "We're staying together. No matter what."

His eyes widened before softening. "No matter what," he agreed softly, giving him his soft smile.

They were still in high school.

And baseball would always be important to them.

But maybe in a few years, they would know for sure if they were ready to get married.

He was really happy he brought Eijun home and introduced him to his family.

He didn't know what the future held.

(He waslooking forward to eventually having that conversation with Eijun.)

But he knew Eijun would be there with him every step of the way.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Author Notes: I hope y'all enjoyed this fic.

Reviews/favorites/follows are appreciated.

This definitely ended up a lot longer than I thought it would be. But I really wanted to give y'all some sort of picture as to what Mei's house looked like and what his family were like. And I also wanted to show y'all all these important scenes. So that plus all the description made this fic one of my longest fics ever.

By the way, Narumiya International is actually a real company in Japan. And when I thought about Mei being rich, that company came to mind immediately. And it was mainly thanks to my conversations with Cin (who goes by the username PleaseReadMe) that I decided to make Mei's family rich in the first place. So thank you so much for the idea, Cin!

Apparently, bringing a girlfriend or boyfriend home in Japan often means the relationship is turning quite serious - potentially marriage serious. And while Eijun's family didn't bring up marriage, they were probably thinking the same thing as Mei's family. Eijun and Mei aren't getting married anytime soon. But I would like to eventually write that happening. In Japan, same-sex marriage is illegal. But I'm going to ignore that for the sake of this series.

Speaking of fics… I've already decided that I'm going to write a Valentine's Day fic for the next part in the series. Traditionally, Valentine's Day in Japan is about girls giving chocolates to guys while guys reciprocate on White Day (which is a month later). And while I'm thinking I can add in some girls giving chocolate (obligation chocolate only) to Eijun and Mei, I kind of like the idea of Eijun going against tradition and making Mei some chocolate. I haven't decided if I want to have Mei make chocolate for Eijun yet. It is a little amusing to think about Mei's teammates trying to steal Eijun's chocolate or eating all the chocolate Mei would give to Eijun, though. There will definitely be a Valentine's Day date involved. Oh, and y'all will get some jealous Mei and jealous Eijun. I'm looking forward to writing it.

See y'all next time!