Daaaamn Indigo, back at it again with the late updates! Enjoy this informative piece of literature!

Mock Orange

Though unhappy with the arrangement, Ame left her sister to talk to Subaru, grimacing and ignoring her automatic instinct to follow them and eavesdrop. No, for now she would find someone to talk to.

It was clear that there was something going on with Subaru and Natsume, and she was curious as to what that something was. And though he had apologised, Ame didn't trust Subaru for a variety of reasons, but there was one main reason.

When sober, he was Ema's type: strong, sporty, quiet but sincere and straight-forward. He wasn't aggressive and overly flirty like Kaname and Fuuta, and he wasn't as flighty and playful as Tsubaki. All things considered, he wasn't a bad guy, and if the situation was different he might even be the kind of person she wouldn't have minded Ema liking.

However the situation was what it was, and none of the brothers were allowed to have Ema. Her sister wanted a family, she just wanted to be their sibling, so that was what she would be. Ame would make sure of that.

First, however, she needed someone who would know exactly what was going on between Natsume and Subaru. The obvious choice would be either Tsubaki or Azusa. Azusa most likely, he seemed much calmer and perceptive than his fellow identical twin. She had no doubt that their response would be biased, but whether they leaned towards or away from Natsume remained to be seen.

Ame swallowed the last of her hors d'oeuvres and carefully wiped her fingers clean with a napkin while looking around for the brothers. Striking as they were, it took her a few moments to spot the two of them making polite conversation with an older woman. She waited until the lady left, and then made her way over, injecting a dash of careless cheer to her movements.

Tsubaki spotted her first, his mouth lifting in an excited smile. "Ame-chan! Are you enjoying the wedding?"

"Yes, it's beautiful!" She smiled. "Ema loved it! I think she was even more entranced than I was."

"Where is Ema-chan anyway?" Azusa wondered. "I thought the two of you would be together."

Ame shrugged and wrinkled her nose. "She wanted to talk to someone for a moment, and I wanted more snacks. Oh, that's right!" She snapped her fingers as though remembering something. "I think Natsume wanted to talk to Subaru earlier! Have you seen them?"

Their expressions changed, varying between total bemusement and worry. "Natsume wanted to talk to Subaru?" Tsubaki repeated.

Again, Ame shrugged, blinking innocently up at them. "Natsume came to apologise to Ema for scaring her before, and I think he wanted to talk to Subaru for a moment."

Tsubaki snorted, the sound slightly colder than she's expected. "Of course he wants to talk to him," he laughed. "He probably wants to nag Subaru about basketball again."

"Tsubaki, don't spread tales," Azusa scolded.

Ame looked between them curiously. "Really? Why would he want to do that? Is everything okay with Subaru?" She made a mental note to visit the sport's hall after class.

"Apparently he hasn't been playing too well recently," Tsubaki replied. "Like his mind is elsewhere. Natsume really pushes Subaru, and I guess he doesn't appreciate it from someone who quit the sport. I know I wouldn't."

"Tsubaki..."

Ame briefly zoned out of the conversation. Subaru disliked Natsume for quitting basketball, likely because he'd admired his older brother. While the other brothers didn't seem to share his animosity, there must have been some tension within the family which was probably one of the reasons why Natsume didn't live with them.

Mulling it over for a few seconds, she caught sight of Ema peering around the gardens. She immediately grinned happily, and waved. "Ema!" She dashed over to her sister, repeating her name over and over until she barrelled straight into the other girl with an audible oof! "Dance with me."

It was less of a dance – Ame hadn't been lying when she said she couldn't dance – and more spinning around in time to the music, but it was fun. Eventually Azusa cut in, and swept Ema away, while Ukyo took her hand instead.

Soon the moment came for a speech from the bride and groom, which was probably very touching but she didn't do well when it came to speeches. Next came the flower tossing, which was much more exciting for everyone else, especially the younger women. Ema participated, because she was expected to, and Ame stood with one arm around her waist, alternating her attention between her phone and the ongoing event.

"Over here!" "No, over here!" Ame giggled as people pushed at each other with varying degrees of force. On the decorated balcony, the newly christened Mrs. Asahina smiled and turned her back to the crowd. She held her bouquet loosely, lifting it up, then down in preparation while their dad looked on with a pleased smile.

The older sister pocketed her phone and leaned closer. "Do you think you'll catch it?"

Ema giggled and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm too young to think about marriage right now! It would be fun though," she pretended to think it over while Ame laughed and pulled her into a hug, squeezing her teasingly around the waist.

They barely heard the bride call out to the crowd, and toss the pretty white bouquet up and into the air. There were screams, which brought their attention up again only for the bouquet land right between them, squashed between her and Ema's chest when they'd pulled just far enough back from their hug.

Ema blinked down at it, eyes wide while the crowd made confused and disappointed noises, but still clapped and cheered good-naturedly. Ame stared as well with a bemused smile, wondering what the odds were of that happening. Up on the balcony, Mrs. Asahina winked at them.

"Congratulations!" Tsubaki congratulated them as the brothers walked over. "I guess it's settled: the next bride is one of you! Maybe I'll put in a reservation!"

As always, Azusa reigned him in. "Tsubaki, let's leave that for another time."

"Another time?" He pouted, sounding put out. "Like when?"

Like never. "Let's leave this alone for now," Kaname agreed. "It's still early after all." Ame folded her arms across her chest, leaving the bouquet to dangle loosely in her hand.

Masaomi cleared his throat. "Well then, allow us to say this formally once again..."

Ukyo smiled apologetically. "We're sorry for doing this in this setting, but..."

"It's because we're in this setting, isn't it?" Hikaru smirked playfully.

"It's a little embarrassing..." Yuusuke smiled bashfully. "But this is how we really feel," Iori finished.

Wataru beamed happily and raised his arms. "Ready! Set!"

"Welcome to the Asahina family!"

Ame stared in shock, which soon turned to overwhelming happiness as she smiled at the wonderful collection they made. Ame smiled with her, it wasn't as though she hadn't been touched by their thoughtfulness. She almost forgot to focus on what was plaguing her until it later, after they'd taken the family photo.

The woman stared down at the complimentary photo blankly. She and Ema stood in front, off-centre of course as that spot was reserved for their dad and their new mother. The brothers stood behind them, a pretty assortment of handsome men all lined up and facing the camera with smiles on their faces. All except Subaru.

He was staring at Ema.

She could recognise the look on his face. He looked longing, wistful. It was careless of him to let such a thing be captured on hardcopy for anyone to see, she thought with a disdainful huff. Oh well, she decided. If he didn't act on those feelings, then she wouldn't respond either. Ema's happiness and peace of mind came first after all.

She slipped the picture into Natsume's bag when no one was looking.

oOo

The drive home was quieter than she'd expected. They'd split up into different cars, with Ukyo, Iori and Yuusuke in theirs, along with Wataru. The younger brother had worn himself out, and was asleep on Ema's lap. Yuusuke looked as though he spontaneously wanted to combust from being so close to Ema, while Iori gazed out the window unseeingly.

Ame wondered why she was less annoyed by Yuusuke's obvious crush, and decided that it was because the redhead was too bashful to make a move. His attempts to hide his feelings were also amusing, and she was content to leave things at that.

There was movement from her other side, and then a weight on her shoulder. Ema must have tired herself out too. Ame couldn't stop the smile on her face, careful not to make any sudden moves that would cause her sister to pull away. She closed her eyes, and dozed while the car drove them back to their new family home.

Hey look at me being all symbolic with the chapter title lmao I didn't even know mock oranges were a thing I thought it was some weird fruit but nope it's just a type of flower.