I'm ALIVE!

Hi, welcome back to this story! It's been a while. Been a while for anything that I posted. But I have an excuse! Remember how happy I was when I wrote a chapter for 9k words? Well, this time, I almost wrote double that. If you count my ANs, I clearly pass it. But looking at the raw story, I think over 16k words is good. My hands hate me, but that's what wrist braces are for!

Not much has happened in real life for me. My birthday is coming up in less than a week. As I looked over chapters for this chapter, I realized that in my notes I was hoping for a festival to happen during February since it's the year of the Ox. But that did not happen… Oh well, I'll look for something.

As for the online world, especially for the fandom…all I can say is WOW. There has been so much support between everyone on the AO3 side! I feel like all the writers currently active support each other, and that makes me so happy to see reviews on everyone's stories! I really need to give a shoutout to TresLechesLife on AO3! We've been throwing ideas at each other for both our stories as well as random day to day events and it helped a lot. In fact, they are the one who inspired the last 2k-ish words with an idea. I'll give more detail on that. But please, check out their story "Pressure Cooker". It would be a good way to thank them for that scene. And you'll get a healthy dose of smut! Another shout out to MxrsTxchibxna01 on AO3! (xxmarstachibanaxx on Tumblr). Not only have they written a story for me, (I'm still very happy about that surprise), they also recently made some adorable fanart for this story while I was writing the end of the chapter today. Please check both the story and their art out! (I can't put links because FFN says no.)

Now, a little bit about this chapter:

This is part 2 of Takumi's POV, the last chapter of this arc, and the chapter everyone has been waiting for to figure out exactly what made Takumi react the way that he did.

This is also playfully dubbed as the "SouTaku chapter" because holy fuck I realized I wrote a lot of it. So for the SouTaku shippers that have been waiting for that content, here you go. Go nuts. Also, going to put it out there that there will not be a Soma chapter. Or at least, not one planned in near feature. I like keeping Soma's thoughts mysterious and ambiguous. And don't tell me that it's not fun guessing just what is going through his mind at the moment.

There is also going to be a lot more of the twins' link in this chapter, as Takumi depends on it more than Isami. The reasons for that will be shown in the chapter.

Anyways, I don't much else to say up here, so here are some of my earworms!

"Escape" by Scuffnuk.

"humility" by atlas.

"Exhilaration" by BROCKBEATS.

Enjoy!


This basically starts in between the second and third section of chapter 9 and goes on from there, but it hits 7 and 8 points in the beginning.

There's always excitement in the air when Totsuki's Annual Moon Banquet Fair was approaching, especially during the week before.

Now free from the stress of midterms, participating students would turn their attention to their dishes and locations. In the past, classes would still go on at this time despite them only being halfway full at most. This year was the start of just cancelling classes altogether, so students did not have to choose between going or skipping. While the classrooms were empty, the kitchens were full of people trying out recipes. They also had been used for Shokugekis for locations, but those had been cut off last week in order to give people time to work on booths without the looming threat of having to start over and to allow pamphlets to be made for the public. The courtyards were busy as well. Staff were setting up for the mass amount of people to come. Occasionally, they would take breaks and take experimental samples from the students fixing up their areas, becoming both full and impromptu critics. Despite the high enthusiasm, there were always some people that could not exert that level of excitement.

Takumi was one of those outliers this year.

It wasn't because he did not want this festival to happen. He did want it, he really did. But he just could not feel as confident or excited as he did in years past. There had been too many things that had happened so suddenly this past week that it had affected his mood.

He had been fine with the Polar Star booth. Sure, he had wanted to do his own booth this year again, especially since he had grown a lot as a chef since last year. But he also had more and closer friends than from last year. Isami had even gone as far as to refuse to help him because he wanted to help with the dorm stand this time. Takumi, knowing that he would feel terrible doing a stand without his brother, eventually agree to the idea. Everyone was right. Who knew if they would be able to do something like this again? He could do his own thing another time.

He had hoped that that was the worst of it. Well, other than figuring out the dish to be made. He had been hoping to submit an idea with Isami. At least they would be able to collaborate then even if their dish was not chosen. However, that was not to be. After a long group argument about the fairness of dishes being judged, the idea to have two dishes made by two teams came up. The people who were not in the Elite Ten were to have a contest for the first dish and the members who were part of the Elites had to make the other dish that not only complimented the first one by also used ingredients from the dish as well as to not have too many different supplies. Takumi had been annoyed that he was not on the same team as Isami, but he understood the reason. He could see if Isami needed help, though.

But his own brother had slammed the door on that idea as well, refusing to allow Takumi to know anything about the dish he was planning on making thanks to some random 'pact' that had been made between the others participating in that contest. The blond had pushed on that a bit more, as he really wanted to do something with his twin. But Isami was crafty and adamant, usually subtly changing or dropping the subject altogether by falling into silence. It bothered Takumi, as Isami rarely kept secrets when it came to cooking. The blond eventually decided to leave his brother alone with that, though the decision was a bit forced because he had been dragged away to help with the stand. Takumi would have been okay with just the annoyance of not being able to help his brother. But then, Takumi started to feel emotions through their link.

Even though he and Isami had it their whole life, Takumi still thought that their connection was strange. They could share any emotion with each other if they consciously allowed it. However, only the more negative emotions were unconsciously shared if they were strong enough. If either of them was happy or relaxed or in pure bliss, the other couldn't feel it unless it was willingly shared. But the emotions like worry, fear, sadness, and pain could be felt without the other's permission. If those were strong enough, their telepathy slowly starts to kick in. Their father and uncle had a connection as well, since twins were common on their side of the family. However, unlike cooking and exercise, neither of them helped them train with this subject.

"It's different for each pair." His father had explained. "Only you two could figure out your link."

And so over the years Takumi and Isami learned how theirs worked. It became important to Takumi especially, as Isami learned to hide his emotions on the surface. His younger twin had also tried to prevent his feelings from crossing over to him as well, but there was only so much that he could block. As a result, Takumi had made himself even more hyper-aware of his link so he would be able to catch feelings quicker and easier.

Takumi only felt hints the first day. He had been surprised because he had left his brother in a good mood. He also couldn't really distinguish them because of how vague they were. He ended up chalking it up to his brother trying to find a recipe, especially after noticing the pondering look on Isami's face during dinner. But when he definitely felt a flash of fear and disappointment that wasn't his own the next day, Takumi's big brother instincts started to kick in.

"You look pretty antsy, Takumi." Megumi told him when they got back from the school. "I have a feeling that I wouldn't need three guesses on why." She looked towards the stairs that led to the upper floors, the same ones he had been glancing at since he got back.

"I can't help it. Isami rarely keeps secrets from me and it feels weird." He told her. He wondered if he was starting to overreact. Isami was not in danger but he still wanted to check up on his little brother.

"You want to see if we can sneak a peek?" Megumi asked, both surprising and relieving him that she had the same notion. He was quick to agree, and together they snuck up to Isami's room. Takumi had expected some things. Of course, like everything else about this month, he ended up hearing unexpected news.

"I'm not entering the contest after all."

Those words completely shocked Takumi. His brother, who had been so excited for this event, suddenly wanted to drop out at the last minute? After Isami explained why he came to that conclusion and Takumi feeling stress starting to come to him, the blond decided at the moment that Isami needed encouragement at the moment instead of more demanding questions.

But that didn't stop Takumi from thinking about it.

Up until that point, Isami's goal had been to work with him for their family trattoria, trying to be as good as him with the occasional determination to try and best him. Now he suddenly wanted to break off and do his own thing? Spontaneity wasn't really Isami's thing. He would usually act with a plan and a level head. When Isami had announced his plans, he had looked far from levelheadedness. The brunet even had a guarded, no, fearful expression at times during that conversation. Isami said that his choice had come because of the reviews of the dish he was thinking of entering the contest with, which was only the day before. He barely had any time to think about this. And now his brother seemed to have a problem tasting his own creations as well? How could he even cook if he had an issue with tasting?

This probably would have not happened if they had done their own thing in the first place.

No. Takumi tried to push that thought away. He had a feeling that this situation had been building up for a while now, subconsciously or consciously. It would explain why Isami had been more tired lately, or why his weight was taking much longer to coming back. If the festival prep had not been the trigger, something else would have. He was proud that his brother had decided on this goal.

But Takumi could not deny that he was annoyed that Isami had not said anything about this before.

He didn't dwell on that for too long, though. Soon, he was pulled in to do his part of the menu, which was a feat in itself trying to get Yukihira to stop playing around and agree on an idea. Thanks to his antics, and Megumi taking a picture of it all (she told him it was payback for having to sit through their squabbling, which he knew wasn't his fault), Isami and Ibusaki got the wrong idea and pestered him until the start of the festival was upon them. All the dorm students got together again to work out a shift schedule and Takumi was happy that he would at least have some shifts with Isami, even if they wouldn't have too much free time with each other.

The first shift he had was actually with Isami. It was the afternoon shift that would bleed into the evening. Though Isami said he was fine following recipes despite the trouble he had with tasting his own creations, Takumi still kept himself extra aware of his twin. Not even being ambushed by his fanclub distracted him from his brother. The only thing that had briefly distracted him during that time was when nightfall started to approach. Neither twin realized just how glamourous the Uptown section was until the sun went down and lights went on. They never had the notion to come to this district in years past and they regretted it. They were both mystified by the sights before snapping out of it to continue their jobs. Luckily, their shift soon came to an end and they were able to go explore see exactly what this ritzy place had to offer.

Takumi had the second day off while Isami did not. Yukihira, who had almost all late shifts because he loved to work during the busy times decided to take advantage of his time off and drag him around the fairgrounds to try as many dishes as they could. Because of their status, they were easily able to purchase food. Though they weren't able to use their tickets all the time because some booths insisted on giving them free food.

Yukihira had told him that he had planned to visit as many booths as he could, an idea he had gotten from Kobayashi last year. Takumi, knowing that he did not have the stomach to hold all that food, decided to forgo breakfast and walk around with the redhead until he found booths he was particularly interested in. It turned out to be the best idea because Yukihira took food from every stall they visited and insisted that Takumi sampled from his plate each time. The blond was already half full just from that alone. At least they were in the Central district where there were many places to sit and digest food.

"Yukihira, what even are you?" Takumi wearily sighed as the redhead walked back with yet another dish to the table he decided to sit at. Seriously, does he ever get full? Takumi noticed that it was in a small bowl this time.

"I'm me." Yukihira sat down beside him, their arms and legs brushing against each other briefly.

"What did you get this time?" Takumi peered in the bowl. It seemed like oatmeal at first glance, with a simple cat design decorating the surface. He could tell that the cat was made out of cinnamon by the smell coming from it.

"Arroz Doce." Yukihira pressed his spoon into the bowl, avoiding the cat. "It's a Brazilian version of rice pudding."

"Ah. Budino di riso." Takumi said as he watched Yukihira blow on his spoon. "We use it for fillings for tarts sometimes. Or by itself. I like it."

"I don't think I've ever had rice pudding before." Yukihira hummed. Takumi gaped at him, too flabbergasted to say anything. "What?" Yukihira prompted.

"You, the guy who uses rice in nearly every dish you make and tries to eat everything edible in sight, have never had rice pudding before?"

"Well, I'm not very good with desserts, and no one has ever offered it to me. Even when I travelled."

Takumi just clicked his tongue.

Deeming that the spoon was cool enough, Yukihira stuck it in his mouth. He smiled around the utensil before popping it out of his mouth. "It's simple but it's really good! Reminds me of oatmeal!" He then stuck the spoon back into the pudding and pulled out another mouthful. He then held out the spoon in front of Takumi, to allow him to at least take the second bite as he had been doing the whole time that they were booth crawling. Takumi blew on until there wasn't as much steam coming from the spoon before leaning forward and popping the spoon in his mouth.

"How is it?" Yukihira still held on to the spoon. Takumi took a few moments to savor before answering.

"It's thicker and sweeter than what I'm used to." Takumi said. "There also isn't any raisins in this, is there?" Yukihira dipped his spoon again and ate some more.

"No raisins." He confirmed.

"It's good, nonetheless." Takumi commented.

"Do you want some more?" Yukihira offered another spoonful to him, but Takumi shook his head.

"I don't have a bottomless stomach like you. I need some room for whatever else you try to feed me."

The redhead chuckled before polishing off the bowl. Instead of getting up right away like he had been doing, he stretched forward to rest his arms and head on the table.

"I feel like that was something I needed right now." Yukihira exhaled. "A nice and warm dish for a nice and chilly morning."

"It's not as cool as it was a couple of hours ago." Takumi pointed out. It was still slightly cold, but it was too warm to put the windbreaker that was tied around his waist back on. Takumi lazily looked around. It was still early enough, so there were quite a few empty seats for customers. So he did not feel bad when he allowed himself to take what seemed like a real break after about two hours stall crawling. He took a position that was similar to Yukihira's, the difference being that his arms were folded under his head rather than stretched out. Neither of them said anything for what felt like a few minutes, the sounds of guests and vendors and music filling what could have been silence. Yukihira did have to break it eventually, though.

"Do they have any festivals in Italy around this time?"

"Hm?" Takumi glanced at his companion as the question settled in his head. "Ah, yeah. We do. A lot of our festivals are religious based. Festa della Rificolona passed by not too long ago, where we celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary by having a paper lantern parade.

The lanterns are to represent what farmers used to light the way to go visit the Virgin Mary's birthplace. Children especially like this festival because not only are there cool lanterns but they get to shoot them with…" Takumi trailed off, realizing he did not know the word in Japanese. "We call them cerbottane. They are these tiny straws that you can blow through, and they are filled with clay or wet paper…" He brought his hands to his mouth as he explained it, trying to demonstrate what he was talking about.

"Oh, a blowgun!" Yukihira exclaimed. Takumi nodded slowly, hoping that sounded correct. Then, realizing he could check on his phone to be sure, he pulled it out and did just that.

"Yeah. That." The blond slid the phone back into his pocket. "It's supposed to represent the ridicule that the farmers had gone through from the townsfolk. But what I always found interesting was the market that is always held the day after."

"A market?"

"Yup. The farmers took advantage of this travel to bring their goods to the city, and the market reflects that. There's always this one place that always had the best cheese. I hope Mama was able to get some this year again for me. Then again, she's angry at me for not coming back for a visit so she might have not." He heard a chuckle from beside him and Takumi lifted an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing." Yukihira smiled. "Are there any more festivals?"

"Hm…not exactly a festival, but there is something called the Amici della Musica season. It's basically many classical music concerts and shows around Florence. I remember my grandparents taking Isami and I to a lot of them over the years. Sometimes, I was able to recognize the songs that were playing because she would play on her piano at home or in the trattoria." He started to recall the Sunday evenings when he and Isami were younger, listening to his maternal grandmother play after dinner, his grandfather always in the room with her, sometimes singing along with her playing. The playing had gotten a bit slower throughout the years, and the singing wavered even more, but Takumi had never minded even when he was in the same room. He really enjoyed watching his grandparents in those moments. His eyes strayed to Yukihira, who still had that dopey smile on his face. "What?"

"I'm just trying to figure out half the words you are saying." Yukihira casually said.

"What do you mean by that?" Takumi frowned.

"When you start going on a memory, especially about family, you become so relaxed that you start talking in a mix of Japanese and Italian." Yukihira chuckled. "People have asked me if I know Italian because they have heard you in one of your tangents to me."

"And you don't say anything to me about it?" Takumi nearly shouted.

"No."

"Dio…" The blond grabbed a fistful of his hair and squeezed it as he recalled many conversations. "Why?"

"I think it's cute." Yukihira simply said.

Whatever words Takumi had planned to say disappeared in a strangled cry as he short-circuited. What? What!? WHAT?

"Nii-chan, you doing alright?"Apparently, his shock had been so great that Isami caught wind of it.

"It's just Yukihira…" Takumi started.

"Oh. Just the usual stuff." Isami interrupted in a dismissal tone. With that, Takumi felt the link cut off.

"Italy must be a great place judging by your stories." Yukihira brought him back from his daze as he slowly lifted himself. "I hope I get to go someday."

"Wait, you haven't gone?" Takumi sat up in surprise. "I could have sworn you've been to every major country at this point, especially to Italy which is one of the countries that contribute most to the world of cooking." When Yukihira confirmed with a shake of his head Takumi added "Why?"

"I don't really know." The redhead sighed. "It's not that I don't want to go. I really do. But it seems like every time I tell myself let's go to Italy, I would feel like I'm missing something or something has to happen before I go. So I just haven't."

Takumi hummed. Yukihira hesitating to go anywhere was odd. But what was even odder was that a small part of him was happy that the redhead had not been to his home country. It wasn't because he did not want him to go, but the idea of his rival going to a place that he revered and ended up having a bad time…It was good that Yukihira had not gone blindly to Italy. He needed someone who could show him the beauty of the country, someone who knew where to go and what to avoid so he would not be stuck in the walls of a restaurant…

"I'll go with you whenever you decide to go." The words fell out of his mouth before he could even finish his mental list. They both looked at each other in shocked silence for a few moments before embarrassment started to set in for Takumi. "I-I-I- mean, not just anyone can show you the beauty of Italy, a-and you need to know the best places to eat in Florence and…" Yukihira cut him off with a laugh. "I'm offering you help and you're laughing?"

"I'm happy." Yukihira said. "Today's been a good day."

"It's still morning."

"Well," Yukihira jumped out of his seat. "We need to get going." He grabbed Takumi's arm and excitedly tugged at it. We only have a few more hours before my shift and I want to eat at as many places as we can!"

"Hold on, let me get up before you try to drag me around!"


If Takumi had known that the few days after the Moon Festival were going to be the last days of semi-normalcy for him, he would have savored them more.

Honestly, he had high hopes for the next couple of months. Their stall had won first place and there were no other events or anything big planned for the rest of the year because Erina had wanted to give everyone a present for dealing with the mess of her father around this time last year. The Elites had less paperwork to do because of that. But only slightly because the school was the one of the main hubs of the cooking world and there had a been a buildup because of the festival. However, he felt that he would be able to steadily get through enough of it to be able to take a trip later on in the month with Isami.

But there was one problem with that plan, and that problem was Isami.

Ever since everything had ended with the festival, the younger twin was in his own thoughts more. Of course, it was nothing new as Isami was always thinking. But this time he was less aware of his surroundings. Takumi had also seen this before, especially when it came to Megumi. So he decided to ask him…

"You never did tell me how that little date with Megumi went."

…Or tease him.

"What date?" Isami had been reading a comic when Takumi came into his room and he looked just slightly annoyed at the interruption.

But hey, it had been the first time they both had time to themselves since the end of the festival a couple of days ago. Takumi wanted to take advantage of it.

"You know, when you took her around the areas that day?"

"Ah. Not much happened. We went to different booths and took breaks along the way." Isami replied so nonchalantly that Takumi almost believed him. Almost. The blond had felt that slight twinge from his brother, so he knew something big had happened.

"Really?" Takumi drew out the word to show that he did not believe that the outing had been as bland as Isami had said. "You didn't hold her hand or anything like that?" When Isami glanced back at the book in his hand in silence, Takumi's grin grew. "You did, didn't you? Or did you do something else?"

"Since you are considering that as a date…" Isami closed the book and stared straight at the blond. "…may I ask how yours with Yukihira went on your day off?"

"I-It wasn't a date!" Takumi immediately defended himself, completely forgetting how Isami loved to turn the tables on him. It was too late, though.

"Really?" Isami used the same tone and draw Takumi had just used. "Yours seemed more like one. I only offered to accompany Megumi if she wanted me to. You were asked out."

"You try telling that gremlin 'no'!"

"I have. Several times. But he seemed really persistent with you." Isami gave him a grin.

"Fine, fine." Takumi saw where his brother was getting at. "You didn't have a date. You were just doing your gentleman duty."

"Nice to see that you agree." Isami winked impishly before changing the subject.

But even with that, Isami still seemed like he was out of it. Takumi decided to leave him alone on it for the next few days. Whatever it truly was, it didn't seem to be harming him. He was even getting his weight back for the season. However, Takumi could not ignore it anymore when he heard Isami's thoughts start to seep into his mind one afternoon when he was trying to focus on work.

"Either think a bit more or tell me directly because I'm tired of hearing bits and pieces of your thoughts." Takumi resisted the urge to slam his fist on the desk as he glared at his twin beside him. Isami severed the link so harshly that it pained Takumi for a second. He barely heard the apology that the brunet sent his way verbally right after as he was still recovering.

"How much did you hear?" Isami asked.

"It was only a few seconds of scattered words. Not enough to know exactly what, though." He wasn't lying. The sigh of relief that escaped his brother made him wish that he waited a little longer before he snapped, though. His eyes went back to the report he was reading, but now he was fully distracted to focus on it. So he decided to try again.

And yet again, Isami tried to get him to drop the subject with smartass answers. Takumi sighed heavily. Why the hell was it so hard to get straight answers from him? All he wanted to do was help.

"You're trying to avoid the question." Takumi called him out on the bullshit, his tone warning his brother that he was tired of it. He could tell Isami got the message from his expression.

However, he got distracted by Yukihira coming in and striking a conversation with everyone in the room. Takumi soon realized that he was alone. Hadn't he overheard Yukihira and Megumi planning to do office work this morning. The blond inquired the redhead about her.

"She seemed weird today, like she wasn't all there. So, I told her not to worry about going with me to the office and go home as soon as she could." Yukihira said.

"Oh? Isami has been acting the same way." Takumi glanced at his brother again as he said that. He wondered how long Megumi had been acting 'weird'. If her and Isami had been acting the same around the same time, then something definitely happened between them. Isami decided to look at him as he thought this, and both of them stared each other down until Yukihira spoke to the younger twin about how he was feeling. Takumi continued to stare at his brother, watching him frown. The blond has his own frown soon as Yukihira explained how he let her go home by herself. However, he understood why he did it. Soon, the redhead received a text that Megumi had gotten home.

But Isami was clearly not assured by that. Takumi noticed how fidgety he had gotten after he heard the news. He probably lasted a minute more after hearing the announcement before he stood up.

"You're going to go check on her." Takumi confirmed.

"Yup." Isami immediately answered.

Where was that kind of straight answer when they were talking earlier?

"Don't tell her you heard anything from me." Yukihira begged. "She'll get upset that we're worrying about her."

"I won't. I'll just say Nii-chan told me to go without him."

"Go on without me." Takumi decided to humor him. Isami laughed before leaving.

It took Takumi a little bit to figure out why Yukihira was concerned about Megumi. When dinner came around, she seemed okay as she joined in conversations when she was talked to. But he kept seeing both his rival and his brother shooting her looks of concern from time to time. Later on, when he went up to his room after helping with cleaning, he ran into the males having a conversation in the hall.

"Something the matter?" Takumi asked.

"We know something is the matter with Megumi." Yukihira said.

"Is there?" Takumi frowned.

"Yes. She still seemed out of it despite having a nap and some medication. I could see that she was forcing herself to talk at times, and people had to repeat their words to her a couple of times. She didn't eat as much as she usually does as well."

Isami nodded along with Yukihira's explanation. Meanwhile, Takumi only gaped at the both of them. Isami was usually perceptive of people he had an interest in, so it wasn't too much of a surprise that he was privy of Megumi's condition. However, Yukihira was a different story. The redhead rarely seemed to pay attention to people's feelings, as there were many examples of him doing things that angered or annoyed others. But Yukihira never ceased to shock him. Perhaps that was why Takumi found him so interesting.

It also made Takumi wonder if he was the one at fault for not noticing these details about Megumi and Yukihira. Maybe he needed to take the time to pay attention to others rather than his work.

That point was only further driven into him the next morning when he found out that Megumi had developed a fever during the night. And then again when Isami failed to come downstairs for school. Takumi only realized that Isami was getting sick when he felt the waves of a headache for a few seconds.

"No wonder you were acting weird yesterday. You were getting sick. I'm sorry for not noticing sooner." Takumi babbled. Isami tried to assure him that he had been feeling fine yesterday, but the blond saw the empty medicine packets on his nightstand and doubt began to fill him. It must have been during the night that his brother started to fall ill, as they don't usually feel each other when they are sleeping. He eventually left at the brunet's insistence, running into Fumio who coming out of Megumi's room.

"Isami's sick." He blurted out to the dorm mother.

"I was right." She replied a beat later. Takumi frowned. Did she know that this was going to happen? But before he could even ask the woman was starting to shoo him away.

"I want to avoid you getting sick as well."

"But I want to help as well." Even though Isami had told him to go to class, Takumi had the mind to stay and take care of him. They always took care of each other when they were sick. When they came to Japan, even more so since they were alone. It always ended up with the other one getting sick just as the first one got better. It seemed like Fumio read his mind because she gave him a gentle smile.

"Remember you two live with other people now. You're not the only one that is here to take care of your brother. And I doubt Isami would want you to stay around if you don't have to."

"True." Takumi grudgingly agreed.

He went downstairs again. Yukihira had hung back to wait for him and lifted himself of the stair railing when he spotted him. His eyebrows creased when he didn't see the younger twin in tow.

"Isami's sick as well." Takumi answered the silent question.

"Oh no."

"Yeah. But both Isami and Fumio told me to leave." Takumi started to put his shoes on. Yukihira mimicked him, a grunt of sympathy escaping him.

"Hey, do you want to take my bike today?" The redhead offered a moment later. "It would make it quicker for us to come home later so we can check on our sick people." Takumi took a moment to remember that Yukihira was also concerned about Megumi.

"That would be great." He replied.

There was another reason why both brothers usually stayed at home when one was sick. That reason was their link. If one was feeling crappy, then the other one could feel the high points of their mood or their pain. Takumi could feel the exact moment Isami caught a fever during class. He felt himself shake from being cold. He could feel how dry his mouth was despite just taking a swig of water. Even though all those sensations lasted a minute at the most, they still threw off his focus for his classes. Luckily, he did not have any practical courses today so he was able to avoid any cooking mistakes.

"You don't look too good." Yukihira noticed as Takumi made his way to his bike. The redhead placed a hand on each of their foreheads to check his temperature. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

"Only with worry." Takumi replied, closing his eyes and letting his head lean into the touch for a moment. If it had been any other day, he probably would have pushed his hand off in embarrassment. But with the day he was having, the gesture felt comforting.

"You don't feel warm." Yukihira noted. Takumi felt the warmth of his hand for a few more seconds before he felt cool air. Opening his eyes, he saw Yukihira grabbing the spare helmet for him. They both put on their headgear before making their way home.

Takumi managed to come to Isami's room the same time Fumio was visiting. He could see his brother's pale and shiny face as he moved around in a feverish sleep.

"Has he eaten anything at all?" Takumi asked.

"I got him to drink some tea and water, but he hasn't eaten anything but medicine. All he's been doing is sleeping." Fumio gave him a half empty thermos. "Fill this up, but don't let it touch anything."

Takumi did as he was told, soon coming back with cool water.

"My poor little brother." He said as Isami twitched again. He wanted to brush his messy bangs back, but he knew Fumio would not approve of it.

"I advise to let him be for now. I don't want you to get sick as well." She pulled out a thermometer and held it near the brunet's forehead. "And it does seem that his fever is starting to go down." She said after reading the numbers.

"Okay." They both left the room. Takumi bowed to her before he went to his room. "Thank you, Fumio. If you hadn't taken care of him and sent those messages, I feel like my mental state would have been worse."

"Don't worry about it." Fumio grinned. "I take care of all my children."

The next morning, Takumi woke up to good news. Isami had woken up early in the morning and texted the group that he was okay. Knowing how Isami did not eat at all yesterday, Takumi texted him privately to stay in bed before going downstairs to make him the thing they always ate when they were sick: a simple pasta dish. He decided to make some for Megumi as well, as she probably had not eaten as well. Yukihira came down as well and decided to help him once he was aware what Takumi was doing. They split off upstairs each with a tray of food to give to their sick charges. After watching Isami eat, Takumi shooed his brother to wash up as he changed the bedsheets. This whole process felt like a normal sick day. And because of this familiar routine and Isami getting better, he was able to focus better at school.

But there was one thing that bothered him.

"It's weird that they were the only two that got sick." Mimasaka commented a couple of days later. The bigger teen had caught him on the way to the office and asked how Isami and Megumi were, who were feeling better but Fumio made them stay at home a little longer. It made sense that he asked about them because his brother and Yukihira were on friendly terms with the tracing expert. Despite that and working on teams with him, Takumi was still wary about the other male. "Usually in a dorm like that more people would fall ill."

"Maybe because they were isolated on the top floor?" Takumi guessed. "But it is weird. I would have gotten sick already. That's what usually happens when one of us gets sick: the other gets sick as well. That's how close we are." Takumi replied.

"It makes sense this time, though, since you two have not been as close lately." Mimasaka commented. Takumi stopped walking at those words.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

Mimasaka stopped as well. "You two haven't been as attached to the hip as I first saw you. Isami leaves without you more. I haven't seen the two of you battling together in Shokugekis or in mock battles against each other lately. I don't even remember the last time you were brought up when I speak to him." He paused, then added. "You guys seem to be getting closer to other people, though."

Takumi said nothing as he stared at the male, mulling over the information that was just given to him. He took too long for Mimasaka.

"Sorry. Just some observations." The bigger teen mumbled.

Well, your observations are wrong! You're wrong! Takumi wanted to scream at him. However…

"You're fine, Mimasaka."

He couldn't bring himself to say those words.

Because a part of him feared that Mimasaka was right.


"It's been a while, Takumi. So long that I was starting to think that I only had one son!"

Takumi laughed along with his father, although much weaker than the hearty laugh he heard in the video call. "Yeah, I've been busy."

"So busy that you can't even send a text to your poor family?" His father then looked down. "Hey, Jock! I'm surprised that you remember your owner's voice!" He then bent over and appeared with a black Scottish Terrier in his arms. "Look, it's your missing father!"

"You're really going to rub it in." Takumi groaned. At least it wasn't his mother or his grandmother. They would be chiding him in Italian by now. Takumi broke into a smile when he saw his dog's ears perk up. "Hi, Jock!" The dog barked in reply, twisting around thinking that Takumi physically in the room with him and not in a computer screen.

"I would have the whole family here to witness this miracle, but everyone else is out."

"Ah." Well, it was around 11 in the morning over there. His uncle and grandfather were more than likely getting the trattoria ready for the lunch shift and his mother and grandmother were probably out doing who knows what. His father decided to put the squirming dog back down, and Takumi could faintly hear the clicks of Jock's nails on the wooden floor as he scampered away.

"So..." His father leaned back in the office chair, his expression turning a bit more serious. "Let's get to the point of this conversation. What do you need?"

Takumi balked at the straight-forwardness from his father. He did have a reason for calling, but he had not expected to be asked about it so suddenly.

"I-I wanted to catch up." He started to say.

"Then you would have called on a Sunday when you know everyone is here." His father pointed out.

"Yeah." There was no way he could lie to his father. He was the one who taught him and Isami their observation and fighting skills, after all. Isami took after him more, though. He could see that right now, as his father silently pressured him to continue, a trait he had seen in Isami many times.

"When was the last time you talked to Isami?" He asked. This was a good starting point to ease into the heart of his reason.

"About three weeks ago, I think. I know it hasn't been a month yet."

"Oh." The last time Takumi had spoken to his family in Italy had been during the summer, and autumn was now nearing its final weeks. "Then you didn't hear that he was sick last week."

"No. I didn't." His father leaned forward slightly. "Is he alright? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine. He had a fever for a day or so, though. But he's good."

"And you?"

"I…didn't get sick."

"Really?" His father raised an eyebrow. "Both of you always get sick together."

"I know. But I didn't this time." Takumi tapped his fingers. "Is that good?"

"Well, not being sick is always good."

"I mean, not being sick at the same time." Takumi clarified. "Even you and uncle feel unwell around the same time."

His dad just stared at him, a hint of confusion on his face. Takumi sighed and slowly backtracked. He told his father how "a friend" had observed his and Takumi's habits. And then he told him his own observations, like how much more his brother is in his head. Then he told him how Isami wished to find his own specialty.

"I know we're two different people, but…" Takumi trailed off, not knowing what to say. His father caught on, though.

"So you're getting worried that your bond is weakening?" His father asked.

"A bit." Takumi nodded. His father stayed silent for a few moments, presumably in thought.

"Have you talked to Isami about any of this?"

"How can I talk to him when he won't give me a straight answer?" Takumi growled. "Every single time I try to ask him what's wrong he changes the subject or ignore it completely."

"Both of you share that problem." His father hummed. "You two hate talking about your real emotions and hide them."

"I don't do that." Takumi argued.

"Oh, you do, my little firecracker." His father chuckled. "Just differently from your brother."

Takumi grunted.

"However, I think you should sort out your own feelings before trying to take on Isami's. And by 'sort' I mean 'confront'. Don't bury them behind your ego. Accept them. Understand them. Figure out why you have them. And then once you do that, it should be easier to figure out how to talk to Isami."

Takumi stared at his father. How did he know that he had so many turbulent emotions inside him? Honestly, sometimes he thought his father knew him better than he knew himself. His dad was about to say something else, but the sound of Takumi's door swinging open distracted the blond. He twisted around and saw a very familiar redhead at the entrance.

"Takumi!" The newcomer exclaimed.

"Yukihira! Don't you know how to knock and wait!?" Takumi shouted.

"Your door wasn't closed all the way, so I didn't bother." Yukihira shrugged. Takumi clicked his tongue at the insolence. "Where's Isami?"

"Why do you need him?"

"Because I'm trying to find Megumi and Isami sometimes knows where she is but I don't know where he is to ask so I came to ask you because you always know where he is so I can ask him where Megumi is." Yukihira explained in what seemed in one breath.

"…I'm surprised that I got all that." Takumi said. Unfortunately, he did not know where Isami was specifically. Lately, his brother had not been telling him of his whereabouts as frequently. He recently disappeared on Saturday for nearly the whole day. He would have been more concerned if Isshiki hadn't mentioned that he sent his brother and Megumi early that morning on an errand in a nearby town. They came back with some weird leaf tempura and other goodies because they saw an art festival over there and could not resist checking it out. Isami also had added that Megumi spotted the oversized plushie and could not leave without it.

"I'm glad someone did. I couldn't keep up." A chuckle reminded Takumi that his father was still on the computer.

"Hello?" Yukihira had also heard the voice and completely invited himself in the room. There was no doubt that he hadn't seen the open laptop because he bounced over to stand by Takumi. "Is this your uncle?" He asked as he peered into the camera. Another chuckle was heard over Takumi berating Yukihira about his manners.

"No. I'm his father. Aldini Hiraku."

"Oh, I-"

"Wait, wait." Aldini cut Yukihira off. "Let me guess. The red hair, energetic personality, and the incredulous yet annoyed expression that my son currently has makes me think that you're Yukihira Soma."

"You know of me?" Yukihira asked with an amazed tone.

"Quite a bit. Takumi talks about you a lot. That, and he yelled your name earlier." Aldini replied.

"You talk about me to your family?" A bright grin spread across the redhead's face as he turned his head towards Takumi. The other male would have found the expression a little adorable if he wasn't so annoyed and embarrassed that his father called him out like that.

"How can I not? I'm either dragged, convinced, or sucked into your crazy adventures most of the time."

"Are you putting the blame on me?" Yukihira's grin morphed from adorable to shit-eating. "Mr. 'Please exercise your rigorous judgement!'?"

"Shut up!" Takumi's hands flew to cover his face. "We don't speak of that! We forget that that ever happened!"

"Oh, it's kind of hard to do that, since you were like that for like the first few days of our acquaintanceship. First impressions count, after all."

"Shut up!" Takumi repeated in Italian, getting too worked up to translate. When he heard his father laughing along with the bane of his existence, he uncovered his face to glare at him. "You're not helping." He hissed.

"Sorry, sorry." The man tried to placate his son. "It's just that this is reminding me of what happened during Isami's last call. "Someone walked in on our conversation as well. She seemed very sweet from the little while I talked to her. And Isami seemed to think well of her, too. I think her name was Tadokoro?"

"Megumi!" Yukihira exclaimed. "She's my best friend! You cannot not like her! No one can! That's why she's the dorm's angel."

"I was thinking more of a saint since she has the patience of one to deal with you." Takumi said bluntly. He wondered if his dad caught on to Isami's feelings about Megumi. He was sure that he did, since he mentioned how Isami thought of her. His brother was probably looking at her all doe-eyed like he frequently did when she was around.

"She's that charming, eh?" Aldini smiled. "Then I'm glad that I invited her over here for the winter break."

"…Eh?!" The two teens exclaimed.

"Well, I liked her, and I was curious about her because Isami rarely talks about his friends. I wanted to know her better. She said that she had to get permission first, though. I haven't heard anything from Isami yet."

Takumi could hear Yukihira say something, but he didn't pay attention. He was too busy in his own thoughts. Isami had not mentioned this at all. Even with his personality his younger brother would have been so excited with the information that Takumi would have heard of it from him within the day rather than almost three weeks later from someone else.

He had to admit that that irked him.

"Takumi!" The sound of his father laughing and calling his name brought him back to the situation his was in right now. "I like him! No wonder you talk about him so much!" The blond emitted a small groan in response. "Know what? Yukihira, you should come over for the break as well!"

"You really think so?" The redhead asked.

"Yes. I would love to meet you in person as well. And I know the rest of the family is wondering about you as well."

"I would love to come over! But I have to see if I can use the funds from school to do so…"

"Nonsense! We can pay for your trip. And our villa is more than big enough to accommodate you and Tadokoro if you two are able to come."

"Then I'll come then!" Yukihira affirmed.

"Wait, wait." Takumi finally came out of the stupor he had been in from the moment his father had invited his rival. "Just like that? You're not even going to consider asking your father?"

"Well, Dad's probably not going to be home for winter break again like last year. I ended up spending a couple of holidays with Megumi because she would not allow me to be by myself. I'm sure that her mom will say yes to her coming along because she's cool like that. And Megumi will be glad I'm not spending my holidays alone."

"That settles it then." Aldini clasped his hands together. "Once I hear from Isami about Tadokoro, I'll tell the rest of the family to expect a visitor or two coming with you guys. And don't worry. The family knows enough Japanese and English to be able to communicate." Takumi could hear Jock barking in the background. "That must be your mother and grandmother."

"Just tell them I said hi. I don't want to be sucked in a conversation so close to dinnertime." Takumi hurriedly told him. He also feared that they would still be angry at him for not coming over for the last couple of breaks and he did not want to be scolded in front of Yukihira. His father nodded in understanding, and with a 'Ciao' the screen closed.

"Your dad's cool!" Yukihira straightened up from the desk. "I can't believe he invited me and Megumi just like that. Isn't it great?"

"Yeah, great." Takumi mumbled halfheartedly. He was too busy still thinking about how Isami had failed to tell him anything. Whatever was his reason for that? He sighed, deciding to not mention this discovery to his brother for now. He wanted to see what Isami would do next.

"Is something the matter?" Yukihira's change in tone caused Takumi to pay attention to his guest. Golden eyes looked at him in concern.

"No. Nothing's the matter." Takumi shook his head. He wondered if he should Yukihira to do the same and keep quiet about Megumi's invitation. He lost his chance a second later, as they heard voices in the hallway. Takumi could tell at least one of them belonged to his brother, as he could feel his proximity at all times. Yukihira opted to open the door.

"You're back!" The redhead exclaimed, and Takumi slowly stood up. He managed to exit the room as the energetic teenager talked about the 'great news' he had with Isami and Megumi. Takumi kept his part of the conversation going. If Isami felt any annoyance or something, he would probably think it was because of Yukihira instead of the true reason.

Then Megumi started laughing, which confused everyone else. Isami was quick to touch her, though, and with ease.

"I think she's surprised because the same thing happened to us." Isami said.

There it was. But Takumi didn't admit that he knew already. He wanted to know details.

"How? When?" He tried to keep a surprised tone as he asked over Yukihira's excitement.

"It was the day after the festival, the morning of the party." Isami filled in, confirming that he had been keeping this information from him for a while.

"That would have been nice to know then." Takumi breathed. He was relieved that Isami had decided to tell him instead of dancing around the subject again.

"We didn't want to say anything until we were certain she could go." Isami explained. "We sent a letter to her mother asking for permission in case she was needed over the break."

So that's why Isami didn't say anything. It wasn't because he didn't want to say anything. It was because he wasn't sure if Megumi was going to come at all. It was a perfectly reasonable excuse, even if it annoyed him.

Takumi quietly listened to the rest of the conversation. It just so happened that Megumi had gotten a reply from her mother today, and had yet to read it. She effectively shook off Yukihira (seriously, she needed to teach Takumi her secrets) before going in her room to read the letter, leaving the three males alone.

"I still can't believe you're coming along, Yukihira." Isami marveled.

"And it works out, since Takumi offered to go with me on my first trip to Italy." The redhead proudly said. Takumi jerked as blue eyes slid over towards him.

"Oh, he did?" Isami asked, but the tone was not a teasing one that Takumi expected. In fact, it sounded dismissive. Takumi confirmed it when Isami shrugged. "I'm going to go change. I'll see you guys later." The brunet said before walking to his room. The older twin stared at the door for a few seconds after it had closed. Isami not taking a prime opportunity to make fun of him? That was odd. However, he didn't think much else of it because Yukihira distracted him by tugging on his wrist to go downstairs for a few rounds of video games.

But it was only a brief time because Isami didn't say a word about it the rest of the night. Or for the next couple of days. But this time, it wasn't because he was getting sick or in his thoughts again.

It was simply because he was exhausted.

At first, Takumi thought nothing about it. Isami probably stayed up last night on his phone as he was sometimes prone to do. He couldn't really keep an eye on his brother this time, as he only had his last class with him today, but that class was a hands-on class and Takumi clearly saw when his brother made a simple mistake that he would never do if he was more alert.

"Isami!" Takumi called out to him, just loud enough for the neighboring teams to hear him. He took the bowl from his twin's grasp and sighed at the contents. It was easily fixable within the time limit, but the idea that he had to fix something that should have been avoided…

"Sorry, Nii-chan." Isami mumbled when Takumi pointed out the mistake. The blond waved him off and started over again, telling him to a task that relied more on muscle memory than brain power.

"What were you doing last night, anyways?" Takumi asked him once the ingredients were correct. "Was it so important that you had to stay awake most of the night?"

"I was cooking." Isami simply said.

"Cooking?" Takumi raised an eyebrow. But true to his nature, Isami refused to give anymore comment. Takumi just gave up this time, not wanting to make more of a scene than he already had.

They soon finished the assignment, as Isami seemed to experience an adrenaline rush after his error and woke up long enough to properly cook. His eyes started to droop as soon as their teacher passed them and they were free to leave, though. Takumi held him back outside the classroom.

"Wait." Takumi pulled out his phone and asked the group chat if anyone was going home and if they wanted a ride. When a couple people responded, he requested a car. "I ordered a ride for you." He told his brother. When the younger twin opened his mouth to clearly protest, Takumi interrupted him. "I offered other people the ride as well, so you won't be the only one in the car. Go home and nap like you have been doing lately." Isami gave him a look before letting out a breath.

"Okay." Isami agreed. It was only when he didn't see his taller brother anymore did Takumi lean back on the wall by their classroom with a sigh. He was in no hurry to leave, as he planned to visit the office today. He decided to wait a bit to collect his thoughts. He heard conversation floating from the classroom, and was going to drown it out when he heard his name.

"…I can't believe Takumi had to do that for him."

His first name was fairly common in Japan. He remembered a couple Takumis in his freshman class. He had no idea if they were still around, but he remembered them. However, if it was someone else, the last name would have been used. Hearing his first name coming out of the classroom he had just been in made it clear that it was him that they were talking about him.

"You mean how he had to clean up his brother's mistake?"

Definitely talking about him. And now about Isami. He focused on that conversation.

"Yes. I knew Isami was incompetent, but mixing the wrong ingredients like that…wow. He's lucky Takumi was able to fix it or else they would have failed."

"He's lucky that Takumi puts up with him at all. All Isami does is shadow him. He reminds me of that Mimasaka creep sometimes."

Takumi clenched his fist, having half a mind to go in and yell at the two of them. But instead, he waited and stewed in his anger, trying not to let his emotions leak through his link.

"I've seen him and Mimasaka together a lot lately. Heh. No wonder they get along so well. They're the same. Only relying on other people's work to get through places because their own work sucks. Isami's just able to get further because he has someone as popular as Takumi with him."

"Still, I feel bad for Takumi." Their voices were getting closer to the door. "I heard that he plans to partner with Isami to run their family diner. But if you ask me, having a partner as bad as Isami would only bring misfortune to their restaurant. I believe Takumi should cut ties before it's too late." He saw the two people come out of the classroom as the last sentence was spoken. It was two girls that had been beside them in the course.

"Then I'm glad that I didn't fucking ask you." Takumi's voice was deathly cold as he spoke up, finding a sadistic pleasure in watching them jump as they became aware of him.

"T-T-Takumi…" One of them stuttered. It was the one who had spoken last. The opinionated one.

If he had been in this same situation a little over than a year ago, he would have immediately yelled and challenged the two of them to a Shokugeki. But he learned that silence could also be a punishment, and it seemed to be the best because they had frozen and paled right where they were standing. He glowered at them, making sure that they knew that they had angered him.

"We're s-s…"

"Shut up. You're only sorry because you got caught." His voice still keeping the low and icy tone." Suddenly deciding that he really did not want to see their faces anymore, he straightened up and stomped away.

Takumi knew that there were people talking negatively about Isami. He knew for years. Back in Italy and here in Totsuki. Takumi would always protect his brother from bullies, which resulted in several incidents at school. That was one of the reasons why they didn't really have any close friends in Italy. He had hoped that everything would change when they went to Totsuki, where they would be judged by their skills in cooking more rather than their looks and they would not be teased as much. He was somewhat right. Their skills in the kitchen did help their reputation. However, they showed just how much more proficient Takumi was than Isami. And others attacked that gap, forever branding Isami as his twin's shadow.

Takumi paused at the end of a hallway. Was that the true reason why Isami decided to go on this journey to find himself? Was this the reason he had basically lost the taste of his own dishes? Was it because he finally cracked under the pressure of other people's words? Takumi gripped the wall ledge with emotions he couldn't figure out right now.

"Takumi?"

The blond's head shot up and turned in the direction his name was being called from. His eyes make contact with familiar amber ones. Yukihira balked briefly at the eye contact before walking up to him until he was close enough to speak in a low voice.

"You look like you want to kill."

Takumi blinked and shook his head.

"Sorry." His voice cracked just a bit. "Just trying to figure some things out." He let go of the wall and continued to the office, hoping Yukihira took the hint that he did not want to talk about it. He probably did, because he stayed silent beside him the rest of the walk.

The first person Takumi saw when he opened the office door was Megumi. She lifted her head and greeted them, a clipboard in one hand and something she was eating in the other.

"No Isami?" She asked.

"No. He went home." Takumi told her. "I could feel that he was tired, so I sent him home to relax despite his protests. I wonder if he's sick again." He added, though he confirmed that he wasn't.

"He's not." Megumi told him with such confidence that Takumi had to furrow his brow.

"Those look good!" Yukihira exclaimed as he beelined toward her desk and straight to a bag of what seemed like cookies as Takumi got closer.

"Try some." Megumi offered. Yukihira never needed to be told twice about samples and immediately opened the bag. He then shoved one in his mouth and pushed another one into Takumi's face, which he automatically took with his mouth before grabbing it with his hands to make sure Yukihira did not push it in all the way. He bit down.

He saw trees and bushes. He could taste blueberries. He could feel the soil under his toes and the wind on his sun kissed skin as he plucked a bush for more berries. But the thing that stood out the most was the sound. Everything, from the call of the different birds, the chirps of the insects, even the sound of the branches in the wind came together in a perfect and unique symphony. And it was then when he knew.

"Isami made these, right?" He asked.

For years he had been Isami's primary taste tester, especially after that disastrous day where he had been yelled at severely for changing a recipe. Of course, his father had apologized much later after the heat of the moment passed. And Isami had forgiven him.

But Takumi knew that Isami never forgot that moment. It took years before his younger brother had the courage to personally offer samples to his father and uncle, going as far as waiting for them to go to work before making anything before getting rid of the evidence. Sometimes Takumi would hide portions of the personal meals he was given in order to show his father and uncle that Isami was a great cook as well. When they got to Totsuki, both of them would always sample each other's dishes because they were alone at the time then.

"Yes." Megumi confirmed. "We were up around three in the morning making them."

So Isami had been telling the truth.

"How did you guess that?" Yukihira wondered.

"His food always has some musical element infused with it." Takumi pointed out. "Which makes me wonder why he's so insistent on trying to find his own thing. The music he somehow adds to his dishes is already unique enough." And it was. Takumi had told Isami for years that he had never had anyone else's dishes have such clear melodies to him. Even when they started tasting more and more dishes from their expanding group of friends. Even from cooks that were eons better than them. Isami had a very special trait. And the brunet had seemed happy when Takumi told him this, so of course the blond had been confused at first with Isami's recent goal.

"I never knew that was his doing." Yukihira marveled. "Almost all the dishes that I've tasted by him were when he was working with you or someone else. Mostly with you."

"All Isami does is shadow him." Takumi remembered the words from the conversation he heard earlier. He could feel himself getting upset.

"And that's exactly what he's trying to avoid. He's trying to make his own path. He wants to be recognized as his own person, not as a teammate." By the way Megumi looked at Takumi while saying that, he felt like she knew more than he did about his own twin. His frustration bubbled out.

"I know that!" He shouted, instantly regretting it as the other two flinched. He really needed to leave, even for just a few minutes. He brushed off Yukihira's concern and went to the bathroom. Takumi made sure that he wasn't followed and that the bathroom was empty before he stood in front of a mirror. He gripped a fistful of fine blond hair as he tried to figure out what made him so upset. He knew it wasn't just the insults about his brother. He could handle those.

But what he could not handle were things that he did not know, especially when it came to Isami. And each day he learned something that he felt that he should have been the first to know.

He should have known that his friends had no idea about Isami's ability to put music in his food. He should have known the reason why Isami was up cooking so late. Or where he goes for long periods of time. Or the true reasons that drove Isami to suddenly rethink his role as Takumi's partner. Hell, their link was slowly becoming useless because Isami was getting better at hiding his feelings. Takumi was not trying to control his brother. He just wanted to know how the person closest to him was doing. But it was hard to do that when that person refused to answer even simple questions about his well-being.

After a few more minutes, Takumi came up with a last-ditch plan.

If Isami would not answer directly, Takumi would ask the people who seemed to be around him the most after him. He decided to ask Megumi once he got back to the office.

"Hey, Megumi?" When she looked at him, he continued. "How come you and Isami were up at three in the morning making cookies?"

"We both couldn't sleep and were craving a snack. But it was all him doing the cooking. I just watched and cleaned."

Takumi hummed, mulling over the answer. Isami hadn't really cooked for himself lately because of his tasting problem. That's why he had been surprised when Isami told him that he had been up cooking before Isami fell silent. He asked another question.

"Was he already up or did he run into you in the kitchen?" Takumi noticed that Megumi took a few seconds too long for his liking.

"He ran into me. I was up before him, I guess." She finally responded.

She guessed? Shouldn't she know for sure since they were up together? Surely he would have said something?

"Alright." Takumi ended the conversation and looked back at the work he was sort of doing. He did not like the answers that he was getting. They felt…incomplete. Just like every other piece of information he was getting. He felt like he was out of the loop.

For the first time in his life, Takumi felt like he was truly alone.


The days that followed only made Takumi feel the strain on his relationship with his brother.

He ended up confronting his brother about staying up late that same day. It wasn't supposed to be a confrontation. Takumi had come originally to check on his napping brother, who woke up at that. It only spiraled into Takumi chiding him from there.

Then Isami had snapped at him.

Takumi was surprised at that. Rarely did he hear his younger brother angry at him. Exasperated, yes. But rarely angry. Takumi saw the shock on his twin's face as well, but he was the only one who apologized. After all, he was in the wrong for starting this. Takumi left soon after, deeming his task done.

After that, they didn't really as much time with each other. They still ran or exercised together, and they still teamed up and ate lunch together in school. However, they were separated for the most part in their free time. Isami didn't swing by the office as often. Takumi later heard from him that he was busy working with others in helping to find his specialty so he didn't have as much time to come. The times he did were mostly filled with him napping more than a conversation.

It wasn't like deep conversations were going to happen, anyways.

Takumi could also tell that his brother was not in a good mental place as well. He could sense the agitation and frustration at times. He saw the signs whenever they were together. Sometimes he would run longer, attack the bags with much more intensity, or stare off into the void. Even though Takumi was worried, he didn't ask. He was tired of his questions being basically disregarded. He could tell Isami that flat out, but he feared that he might do more harm than good. At least right now.

Takumi thankfully had some distractions. The main one was Yukihira. The redhead seemed to be around him almost as often as his brother used to be. Takumi found himself not minding his friendly rival's presence. Yukihira would drag him around to different places or to cook or whatever caught his mind at the moment. Megumi would come along a lot as well because she happened to be in proximity. Sometimes, even Isami would join, but it only happened when Megumi was around. Takumi could not help to be jealous of the golden eyed friends. Yukihira because he was able to keep his best friend close and Megumi because she was able to draw in Isami, two things that Takumi wasn't able to do as well anymore. Perhaps that was why he preferred when it was just him and Yukihira. He didn't have to see the bonds that the other three had. All he had to do was have fun and occasionally reign in his companion from doing too stupid things.

But even with the chaotic First Chair there were some moments that made him remember the feelings he tried to ignore for a few hours.

"Are you mad at me?"

The question seemingly came out nowhere, especially when all they had been doing was washing dishes for the past few minutes. But with the extended time Takumi had been spending time with him and the pointers from Megumi, the blond could tell that the question had been the result of several trains of thought going through Yukihira's mind. But still, the question had caught him off guard. Takumi knew that Yukihira knew that Takumi held a general sense of annoyance whenever it came to the redhead. Takumi knew this because Yukihira would occasionally do things that bothered the blond just to be a little shit. A question like this was serious.

"Why?" Takumi wondered.

"Because you've been in a bad mood ever since that call where your father invited me to Italy. I was thinking that you really didn't want me to go, so that was why you were upset." Amber eyes and nimble hands focused on a dish that was more than clean yet still was under the harassment of a sponge.

"That's not true." Takumi said firmly. The sponge paused and Takumi decided to grab the plate from him to rinse it off. "I said that I wanted to be with you whenever you decide to go to Italy, didn't I?"

"But that was if I was like staying at a hotel or something. Not at your house or near your family. I probably pressured you to accept me coming along this time-"

"I was surprised how things unfolded, but I don't think I was ever against it." Takumi placed the dish on the rack before turning his gaze to the redhead. "I'm not angry at you, Yukihira, and I really don't mind you coming along with us." A small voice in his head wanted to say that he wanted the redhead to come, but he didn't want to flat out admit that. Besides, it was unnecessary because Yukihira had a small smile of relief then. However, before Takumi could even admire it, the concerned expression returned.

"Then why have you been so gloomy lately?" He asked.

For a moment, Takumi wanted to tell his friend to not worry about it, that it was nothing. But then he remembered that part of the reason for his somber mood was because someone had told him similar words. Takumi did not want to be a hypocrite.

"…I don't know." He ended up saying. "Well, I do but I don't. I'm just so confused because almost every thought conflict with another one." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I don't want, no, I can't talk about it right now because I don't even understand the situation myself." At least he said that, not just dropping the subject in silence.

"Oh." Yukihira's gaze went back to the disappearing suds in the sink. Takumi suddenly felt guilty and placed a hand on the redhead's arm. He sort of regretted doing that, as his hand was still damp despite not handling a soapy plate for a bit. However, he succeeded in getting his companion's attention back on him.

"I promise I'll explain when I can." Takumi declared.

"Okay." The redhead accepted.

Yukihira had to leave the next day under Erina's orders. It was for an event. Even though Takumi understood the reason why she had chosen Megumi as his partner, because almost literally any other Elite would butt heads with the First Chair, but he was miffed that he had not picked to go, despite being one of the worst offenders. With Yukihira gone, Takumi found himself relying on other means of distracting himself from his thoughts. But he realized that he did not need to try as hard right now.

Isami had seemed better.

Takumi could feel the change. What faint pressure he felt from Isami's end had disappeared. His expressions were more relaxed and his words felt lighter as well. However, other than a verbal observation Takumi didn't pry about the change in his wellbeing. Knowing his luck Isami might not even want to say anything about this positive change. So Takumi decided to continue on doing his own thing and leaving his brother alone to his own devices. That's what Isami had said he wanted those months ago, right?

Takumi especially applied that to cooking. Other than when they were partnering up, he kept far away from Isami in the kitchen. It hurt to do that, but he really wanted to give Isami the space. The blond had done that the day after Yukihira left as well. He had seen Isami in the kitchen that afternoon when he got home, mostly because it was a habit of all the dorm dwellers to peek in the kitchen as soon as they got home. When he spotted his brother with Isshiki hovering around, Takumi decided to go upstairs, not even bothering to ask what they were cooking. Perhaps he would be able to get leftovers.

He certainly did not expect Isami to bring one of his favorite desserts to his room a little while later.

Nor did he expect that Isami had made it specifically for him because he noticed that he was in a bad mood lately.

Tears of shock and happiness threatened to fall from his eyes, causing Isami to chuckle.

"Don't cry, Nii-chan. You haven't even tasted it yet to be this grateful."

It seemed like Isami did not fully realize the situation Takumi had been in for weeks. But it seemed that the crostata did.

Takumi had been working outside for quite a while. The bright sun beat down on him and he wiped sweat from his forehead yet again. He could hear a song in his ears. It was frenzied, messy, and honestly starting to give him a headache. Then he turned his head. A pitcher of juice sat on a table. Takumi couldn't resist pouring himself a cup, the glass cool on his hands as the liquid filled it. He took a drink, which quickly turned into him draining the cup as he could taste the cool and sweetness of apples. The cold liquid felt amazing as it cooled his hot body and soothed his parched throat. The music slowed and unraveled into a soothing tune. He knew that he would have to continue the hard work, but he decided to focus on the break he had been given.

When Takumi convinced Isami to eat with him, he started to think about something. The experience that he had from the pastry was similar to what he was experiencing in real life. For weeks, he had been dealing with this storm of emotions. But right now, sharing a meal with only his brother and speaking in Italian made it feel like he had gone back into simpler times where they could talk freely about anything. But he knew that it wasn't then. It was now. And soon he will go back to the state he was in before.

Takumi was tempted. Tempted to take advantage of this mood and talk. Ask about things that bothered Isami. What he had been up to. What had caused this change in his mood and what had happened that made him so concerned before. Tell him how he felt about all this. That even though he was wondering about him, he would not get in his way. Beg for Isami to stop avoiding his questions. To just talk to him.

But the fear of cutting this moment too soon was greater than all of that, so the words that fell out of his mouth…

"Have you picked anyone to intern under yet?"

…did not pertain to any of those things.

The topic was safe. It was something that all second years were going through, training under a professional chef. For a second, Takumi thought even that was a mistake, as Isami took a deep breath. But then Takumi relaxed when his brother answered.

"No. I haven't. You?"

Takumi nodded. Because of his position, he was able to get one of the first picks of mentors before the list went to all the rest of their grade. "I had a little trouble between Mizuhara and Inui for a biy. In the end, I picked Inui."

"Inui?" Isami lifted an eyebrow. "I would have thought you would have picked Mizuhara, since she specializes in Italian and she came up to us last year to recruit us."

"I wanted something different." Takumi shrugged before remembering something. "Yukihira did pick Mizuhara, though. I thought that he was going to continue in French cuisine."

"That guy has a goal to learn everything about everything." Isami sounded less surprised at that fact. Takumi hummed, mind off in thought. If Isami did not have anyone yet, he could train with him under Inui! Several, if not most of the volunteer chefs were taking two to four students even though there were more than enough for each student to have a private experience. He knew Inui had at least one more slot open from what he saw last time. But Takumi let the offer die in his mind. He had a strong feeling Isami would refuse.

"Will you tell me when you do find someone?" Takumi instead asked. Isami nodded firmly.

"Of course I will, Nii-chan."

However, Isami was not the one to tell him when he did.

Well, at least, not initially. Isshiki told everyone at dinner a day or so later. Isami had been chosen to intern under Akanegakubo as a potential pâtissier. After some exclamation and confusion, the story of how Isshiki managed to get an unassuming Isami to cook for and to be considered by one of the pickiest graduates came into light. Then even more excitement at the tables. Takumi did say his congratulations but was quiet the rest of the meal. He was happy for his brother, and he knew that Isami had been pulled around unknowingly. But he wished that Isami would have told him beforehand by like a text or something. The blond was instantly chiding himself. Isami probably wanted to tell everyone at the same time. Why was he acting so childish? Takumi decided to go to sleep early. Maybe he was feeling more irritated because he had slept less than usual last night because his mind would not stop racing at the idea of Yukihira coming back early this morning.

And because he went to bed early, he woke up pretty damn early.

It also did not help that he heard Yukihira knocking on a door through the crack of his door that he had accidently left opened.

"Megumi!" He could hear the redhead call out. Takumi then looked at the time on his phone and grimaced. It was nearly four in the morning. Again, because of his early bedtime he did not feel as tired as he usually would. He pushed himself off his bed and staggered over to where Yukihira was. The blond was surprised to see him dressed and ready to go out. However, the sight did not deter Takumi from reprimanding the redhead.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" He nagged.

"Hey, Takumi!" Yukihira greeted. "I'm surprised that you're up this early."

"It's kind of hard to sleep when someone is making a lot of noise at o dark thirty."

"Oh, sorry. Usually, I'm up at this time to go to the fish market today. Megumi usually comes with me."

"Didn't you two just come back yesterday from a trip? How do you even have the energy to be up now?"

"She did say she was up for it last night. But her door is locked so I wasn't able to go in this time to talk to her."

"Honestly, you and your terrible habit of just waltzing in people's rooms."

"I only do that with you and Megumi." Yukihira admitted. Takumi squinted, too dumbfounded with that declaration to say anything right away. He never did get the chance to ask as the door they were standing in front of opened to reveal Megumi. It was very obvious that she had just woken up because her hair was still a mess and she was wearing an oversized shirt that Takumi could help but to think it looked familiar.

"Soma…and Takumi?" The bluenette yawned.

"Morning, Megumi." Yukihira waved before slipping into the room with ease and turning on the light. Takumi had seen him do this many times, to both him and everyone else. However, he noticed that Megumi, the person who was even more used to this, stiffened.

"Er…Soma-" She started to call him, opening the door wider.

"Oh, Isami's here!" Yukihira exclaimed from in the room.

"He is?" Takumi came into the room slightly and saw that Yukihira was right. Sitting up and blinking drowsily in Megumi's bed was his younger brother. In the artificial light, Takumi could see that was Isami was bare chested, which was normal for him to sleep like that. What wasn't normal, other than the fact that this was not his own bed, were the couple of marks on his chest.

Takumi knew what those marks were. He had had enough experience to know what they were.

And he sure as hell had enough experience to know what happened between Isami and Megumi last night.

The blond felt a twinge of panic as Isami finally snapped awake.

"Morning, Yukihira, Nii-chan." He said, Takumi catching a slight quiver to his voice.

"Did you sleep over again?" Yukihira asked.

Isami's mouth dropped opened in pure shock, silent at the question. Takumi was surprised as well, but more confused at Yukihira's question.

"Wait. 'Again'? What do you mean by that?" Takumi wondered.

"Yeah. They spend the night in each other's rooms sometimes. I see them travelling between rooms occasionally when I'm up late at night or in the early morning."

Takumi had been ready to assume that this was his brother's and long time crush's first time together last night and he and Yukihira had managed to pick the wrong morning to barge in. But hearing that they had been going between rooms at least occasionally…

"I didn't know this." Takumi mumbled, the anger starting to bubble in him.

"You didn't? But I've seen Megumi come out of Isami's room a couple times after you guys leave in the morning for exercise. I thought you would have seen her then."

Takumi remembered the few times he would go look for Isami when he got ready before him. He would knock on the door and Isami would usually tell him to come in. But those mornings his brother would open it just wide enough for him to slip past it before shutting it quickly behind him. At the moment, Takumi had thought nothing of it. But now he could tell the difference.

"Why now, Yukihira…?" Takumi heard his brother's thoughts come through clearly. He looked over and saw the shock and despair on Isami's face as he started at Yukihira. But, for once, Takumi did not care that his brother was uncomfortable. Sure, he would not want to know the details of his brother's sex life. But several other realizations were coming to his mind now. How Isami and Megumi would act around each other, the frequency of them sneaking off together, the closeness they started to have to the point where Isami would only show up if Megumi was around…

They were clearly in a relationship.

Takumi could feel himself shaking. Why? He understood Isami not telling him anything about his cooking, but why keep this a secret as well? His eyes shifted towards Megumi, who had the same anguished expression as Isami. Her eyes met his and she started to shake. Takumi then heard a creaking noise and felt Isami pass him by. His brother then wrapped Megumi in his arms before gazing back at Takumi. The blond did not need to hear his thoughts to know that he would not hesitate to protect her with any means necessary. He willed himself to calm down.

"…She's wearing your shirt." Takumi said as he finally recognized the oversized article.

"She is." Isami said. Takumi took a breath before speaking again,

"How long?" Takumi asked as calmly as he could. "How long has this been going on?"

"Around three months." Isami replied.

"Around three…" Takumi stopped talking, his emotions taking over. Three months? His hand grabbed his hair as even more memories and observations clicked. "Why didn't you guys bother to tell me?" He growled. They had at least three fucking months to give him a heads up on their relationship.

"Can we explain ourselves later, when everyone has a chance to clear their minds and calm down?" Isami asked.

Oh hell no. His brother was the worst at telling him anything and he wanted him to-

"Calm down? I hear that my younger brother has been secretly fucking around for the past three months and I'm expected to be 'calm' about it?" The blond seethed.

"Takumi, please." Megumi interjected, and his glare shifted to her. She looked pitiful and small against his brother. "I don't need everyone to know about this right now. Just please, hold on a little longer."

She had the audacity to ask him to wait again? Wow, she and Isami were made for each other, weren't they?

Takumi suddenly felt very alone.

He stomped off. He went to his room and faceplanted into his pillow. Now that he was on a stable surface, he could feel himself shaking. He forced himself to relax, but it seemed to only make things worse because he could feel his eyes prickle with tears. Whatever ones made it out of his eyes were quickly soaked up by the pillowcase.

And then he heard his door opening.

"Takumi?" Yukihira's voice caused Takumi to sit up. Anger filled him again as he realized that the redhead saw him like this.

"Why don't you ever wait to be invited in?!" Takumi shouted as he threw the pillow in his uninvited guest's direction. At least he tried to shout. His voice cracked and fell in the middle. And Yukihira caught the pillow that was thrown at him.

"…I'm sorry, Takumi." Yukihira sounded so sad and genuine with his apology that guilt started to fill Takumi. "I didn't know about any of this."

"No…" The blond murmured, looking down. "This is not your fault."

Neither of them spoke for some time. Eventually, the sound of feet shuffling filled the silence as Yukihira made his way to Takumi. He held out the pillow that had been chucked at him earlier. Takumi stared at it for a few seconds before slowly accepting it back.

"Why are you here, Yukihira?" Takumi asked in a low voice.

"I didn't want you to be alone."

Takumi froze, the words echoing in his mind. He had been ready to accept that he was alone ever since Isami decided to break off from him. But hearing this…tears threatened to fall again, but he did not want to cry. He did not want to let the other two hear him, even though he was positive Isami could feel it. He looked up into amber.

"I want to leave."

And he saw that Yukihira understood.

Takumi found himself outside after a change of clothes. It was still early in the morning, maybe about thirty minutes after everything had happened so there was still no sign of the sun. He squeezed the thermos in his hands as he watched Yukihira roll out his scooter. He placed the thermos in the storage attached to it before accepting the helmet that was offered to him. A minute or two later they were on the dark road. Even though the chilly late autumn air started to sting his face, he didn't put the visor from the helmet down.

Instead, he had the urge to press his face against Yukihira's broad back.

If he had been in the right mind when this impulse came to mind, he would have shaken his head and chided himself for thinking such stupid stuff. But he wasn't in the right mind.

And honestly, the warmth from his friend felt so nice against his cold face. Takumi also noticed that Yukihira smelled a bit like a mix of cooking oil and flour, no doubt the scent permeating into his skin and clothes from years of cooking with those ingredients. But it somehow comforted the blond. And other than being startled by Takumi touching him, Yukihira didn't do anything else about it.

Eventually, they started to slow down. Takumi opened his eyes and lifted his head. He had a feeling that they were not going to the fish market, but he was surprised that they were in what seemed like a park. He gave his friend a questioning look as he stopped the motor bike.

"I like to come here sometimes around this time when my insomnia is high." Yukihira explained.

"I thought you cook when that happens." Takumi said.

"I can't cook all the time." Yukihira laughed. "And there's something about this place around this time in the morning. It kind of feel like you're not supposed to be here right now. Kind of spooky. And it's very quiet and still, like time has stopped for just a couple hours."

"A liminal space." Yukihira paused in attaching their helmets to the bike and shot Takumi a confused look. "It's what you're describing." Takumi continued. "Like how it feels going through the school when everyone else is on break."

"Ah." The redhead looked up towards the moon in thought. "Yeah." He then grabbed Takumi's hand. Even though Takumi knew that he did not have to do that, he did not pull his hand away. "I'll lead you to my favorite spot."

They walked in mostly silence. Takumi did not mind. He could see what his friend had been talking about. Everything echoed in the park, from the leaves crunching under his feet to his breath coming out in small puffs. When they got to a playground, Yukihira let their hands slide apart as he quickened his pace. Takumi watched him go past the slides and up a hill before the redhead stopped.

"Swings?" Takumi asked when he caught up. "This is your favorite spot?" Yukihira nodded.

"I like swinging. Clears my mind." He simply said before sitting on one. Takumi sat on the one next to him. "But I don't think you feel up to swinging right now."

"Not really, no." But Takumi was not going to complain about the location. He can tell Yukihira cherished the location because it brought him peace, and he had brought Takumi this time to see if it would do the same.

Now that he thought about it, Yukihira shared a lot of things with him. Food, places, things, dreams. Even his bed a few times in the past when Takumi was too tired to go back to the apartment and Fumio had long gone to sleep with the keys to other rooms.

And yet, Takumi had barely done the same for him. He remembered pushing Yukihira's concerns away these past few weeks. All he had requested was an explanation on why he was so sad. Yukihira hated when people were sad, and seeing Takumi like that with no explanation must have made the redhead anxious because he had no idea what to do.

Similar to what Isami made him feel.

"Dio…I'm so sorry, Yukihira."

"It's okay." The redhead assured him.

"No, it's not. I…I…" And then Takumi broke down. He told Yukihira how he noticed that Isami was keeping secrets from him. How he should understand why Isami split from him rather than confused. How he should have seen the signs that led to that. Every time he asked his brother nearly anything he would be essentially ignored. How conflicted he was between wanting to support his brother and wanting him to stay by his side. How he wanted to tell Isami all of this but was afraid to say a word because it might hinder his progress.

"I wonder…if I'm such…a terrible brother that he…doesn't want as much to do with me anymore…" Takumi sniffed.

"That's not true." Yukihira, who had been mostly silent through the spiel, jumped off his swing. "You are not a terrible person."

"But the way I'm feeling-"

"Is justified." Yukihira interrupted. "I say that because I feel that way all the time. No one tells me shit until the very last moment or until I go through something that I've could have avoided."

"But you don't get upset like this." Takumi pointed out.

"I'm just much more used to it. Trust me, I would be devastated if someone close as close to me as Isami is to you just upped and disregarded my questions and concerns. And what do you mean that I don't get upset? I was really pissed when I found out Dad went to Totsuki and did a whole bunch of cool shit. The same when I found out I was related to Rindo the day before she graduated. Like it would have been nice to know that so much sooner."

"The fuck? What? You're related to her?"

"My great-aunt is her grandmother. Dad tells me nothing, honestly."

The news was so shocking that Takumi couldn't help but to chuckle. Then as he though more about the fact, he started to really laugh. The tears that came from his eyes were now from merriment as he slid off the swing onto the dirt.

"Nice to know you found that so funny." Yukihira folded his arms, but he did not sound upset.

"It's just that it makes so much sense!" Takumi wheezed. "You guys act and look so similar!" The blond laughed a little longer before he pushed himself up to stand. "I feel a little bit better now. Thank you."

"I didn't do much of anything." Yukihira replied.

"You did more than you realize, though." Takumi told him. "Yes, I'm still angry that Isami and Megumi did what they did. Yes, I'm still blaming myself that I have fault in this. Yes, I know those feelings are not resolved and that they will come back. But." Cerulean met amber. "You reminded me that I'm not as alone as I thought I was."

"Ah." Yukihira smiled. "Well, thank you for trusting me enough to tell me all this."

Takumi nodded.

They walked around the park a little longer, talking more about the situation. The sky slowly got lighter as time went by. However, it wasn't until they passed by a person did their liminal space bubble burst. They made their way back to the motor bike, tossing ideas for places to go for breakfast since Takumi really did not want to go back to the dorm and Yukihira assured him that he was free all day as well.

"Are you going to speak to them when you get back?" Yukihira asked as he unbuckled the helmets.

"They told me to 'hold on'. To wait until everyone 'calms down'." Takumi mocked. "I'll do exactly that. But the thing is, I'm not going to wait for them. I'm going to wait for me, when I feel like talking to them again. And I have a feeling that it will be much later than they want it to be."

Yukihira nodded. Takumi knew that he would support his choice no matter what.

The two of them then got on the motorbike and rode towards the sunrise.

End of Intermission


First Section

- This my expanded explanation for the twin link. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but their dad and uncle are also twins in this story. This is also my crap-out of saying why Takumi cannot feel the sex. I mean, who wants to feel their twin having sex? I did them a favor!

- And we are off with the fluff! I HC Soma going all out third year and visiting all the booths like Rindo did. He probably won't be able to bring Takumi the whole time, because Takumi's stomach is not a bottomless pit like his, but yeah.

- The Arroz Doce idea came from the Sns discord I am part of after asking what foods other countries serve in fairs and that person was pretty much the only one to answer with several dishes. When they posted this dish, other people replied that they had a similar dish in their region. Personally, I've had Arroz con Leche several times thanks to my Hispanic family. I'm not a fan because it has a weird texture in my mouth, but it is tasty. I'm not surprised that Italy had their own version as well.

- Another HC: Soma will either feed Takumi from his food or try things from Takumi's food. I saw one picture of Soma trying to taste from Takumi's spoon and I just thought that was too adorable. This habit started from the Train Arc where they went off on their own and Soma has taken off with it ever since. Takumi doesn't really stop it, (and no one ever really says anything.)

- I'm bilingual. I forget words. Takumi should forget words, too. Also, Takumi doesn't just drop into Italian during the memory. He starts speaking a mixture of both languages, especially after he quotes something in Italian. He just forgets in the heat of the moment. I used to speak in English while my great grandmother spoke to me in Spanish and our heads just translated automatically.

- Isami: No need to worry. My brother is just having a gay panic.

Second Section

- Takumi tries to tease his brother, ends unsuccessfully. If only he knew what transpired in a walk-in pantry that day…

- I love Megumi's best boys. They know what's up immediately. (Do you see my main Megumi ships here?)

- Soma and Takumi unite in worry for their people.

- Mimasaka needed to show up in this. Like he really did. I'm glad I was able to use him finally. Hopefully, I get to use him more in the future.

Third Section

- Takumi has a dog. I forgot he had a dog in this story. Here's our reminder that Takumi has a dog. His name is Jock. Did Takumi just completely rip off the name from a certain movie? Yes? But he was like 6 or 7 then so cut him some slack.

- I still don't know what personality to give the father. Probably keep it similar to Isami, but with more self-confidence.

- I kind of feel bad having Soma barge in at inopportune times, but eh…I'll make up for it.

- Takumi is become fluent in Soma-speak. (Soma just talks fast like I do. I swear we make sense.)

- Meet the Papa part 2. Their poor mom is always excluded. (She will have her debut.)

- Random person to Takumi and Soma years from now: So how did you two meet? Soma: OH, that's a FUN story to tell…

- Hiraku just sees his son go through a rollercoaster of emotions and decides to invite the cause of them for entertainment.

- There is some allusion in chapter 11-12 that Takumi knew about the invite. This is just confirmation.

- Even though Takumi is very annoyed with Isami, he still takes care of him.

- Okay. I was going to start out this whole chapter with Takumi talking to some of his fanclub members while fixing the stand and one of them 'accidently' insults Isami. But once I realized I was going nowhere with it, I trashed the idea and wrote the stand crawl instead. But I did want to bring back the idea of Takumi hearing people talk bad about his brother so here is this scene. It shows that Takumi is aware of what his brother is going through.

- The shortened version of Megumi's foodgasm.

- Alright. Even though Takumi came in and assured Isami that they would be a great team in that flashback, I know Isami never lived down that event. I like to think the dish wasn't bad. It was just different. But hearing that must have made their father panic because he wants the restaurant to keep a reputation and he took it out on Isami. Then once he had a chance to cool down, Hiraku apologized for overreacting. But the mental damage was already done.

- I hope it's clear to see the reason why Takumi lashed out at the end of chapter 11. He's already worried about his brother's sleeping schedule, upset about the comments he heard, linking the two events together, and then he thought Megumi was upset at him because of his confusion.

Fourth Section

- In Isami's POV, we know why he's acting like this. But from Takumi's POV, we see that he doesn't know why. And he already lost faith in asking anyone else because of Megumi's answer from that day. I think this part is my favorite personally, even if it was a bitch to write.

- Remember how Soma thought Takumi was mad at him? Well, here's the resolution to that. A slightly domestic scene. (Also Takumi touched Soma first.)

- I cut off the crostata scene in Isami's chapter a bit awkwardly because I wanted to explore it a bit more with Takumi. I think I did a fair job.

- There was an intermission or end card during the training camp that had Mizuhara trying to recruit Soma, Takumi, and Isami and all three of them saying no. I was going to have Takumi go with her, but when I saw that she specialized in Italian instead of the Japanese I thought she did, I put him with Hinako. (Also, Soma going for Italian, eh?)

- My dumb ass: I wonder how a Takumi and Hinako interaction would go…

- There's not really much to say on the discovery scene that hasn't been explained in the chapter. I just really hope how I wrote it was worth the hype on why he acted like this.

- Original ending was going to be Takumi allowing Soma to come in his room and whatever they talked about to be a mystery.

- However, TresLechesLife is the person you need to thank for the park scene. They asked me a simple question on how someone (I think it Ryoko) would smell like and I gave them my thoughts. Then I wondered. What does Soma smell like? The end product was not very specific but I like it. I was going to put the scene where Takumi calms down with Soma's scent way back where he rides with him when Megumi and Isami were sick, because that's when the question popped up. But by then, I was kind of thinking that I was not going to write a Takumi or Soma centric chapter for a while and that I should put Takumi's after thoughts about the discovery in here, and I felt that little detail would work better here.

- I really love liminal spaces. I want to write a whole story on them. But the rational part of my brain reigns supreme right now.

- Soma would resonate with the secrets thing the most. This poor child stumbles through his first year without any knowledge of anything in this school and people ridicule him for it. (I'm really glad Takumi taught him the school song in a doodle.) He's used to it, of course, because his father doesn't tell him anything.

- You can tear the "Rindou is related to Soma" conspiracy theory from my cold, dead hands. You cannot look at their appearances and actions and say that they don't share some blood. She can be Soma's booth crawling partner next year.

- The 'frozen in time' liminal space and the sunrise at the end is supposed to be symbolic. Takumi has often been mentioned as the 'sun' in Isami's dreams. He had disappeared a little while in Isami's dreams. He didn't get swallowed by darkness. Takumi was just stuck in the past, or 'frozen in time'. Now that he was able to get some of his feelings justified, he was able to start to 'rise' again. Also, the sunrise is the 'dawn' of a new arc. I honestly did not plan this.

That's all for now. Thank you for reading! We go back to our regular scheduled couple next chapter!