EVERYTHING THE ICE BITES
five
As soon as the door shuts behind them, the smile vanishes from his face.
There's no need for pretences when it's just the three of them.
And nobody is quicker at discarding the pleasantries than Maria.
"Are you mocking us?" Maria sneers at him, as she refills her glass with red wine. Now that Karin and Hina are gone, even for just five minutes, she is much more comfortable with lacing her words with derision. "Putting on such a spectacle?"
"If you couldn't handle it, you should have refused." Indifferent to her scorn, he shrugs. It really didn't matter to him if they hadn't joined them for this fake birthday party or not. "You've always been good at making up excuses."
"I can't even celebrate my son's birthday?" Incredulous, her dark smile sharpens into something particularly nasty. "Well. It seems that you've gotten very comfortable living this life. Like it's almost yours."
"Really?" Toushirou smiles back, purely performative. Feigning obliviousness has always irritated Maria, but somehow in this moment he just can't resist. "Is that how it seems?"
Toushirou wouldn't really know.
As far he's concerned, he's never been free to live his own life.
He's lucky, in a way, that things have worked out so well. People believe that he's their son, and why would they think otherwise? He does share their cold blue eyes and icy temperament, in spite of not being blonde like them.
By some strange coincidence, Toushirou's birthday is three days before Yukio's, so he's never minded celebrating his birthday in December a little late.
"You ungrateful brat! How dare you take that tone with me!" Maria hisses, temper flaring and getting the better of her. "If it wasn't for me —"
"Enough."
Werner all but slams his glass on the table, the loud noise stunning Maria speechless.
"Get a hold of yourselves," Werner states, curtly. As always, he remains detached and composed, reminding them of the situation they're in. "We're all in the same boat. Unless you want it to sink, I suggest you talk about something else."
Both choose to be silent instead.
There's not much to talk about, truth be told.
Sometimes Toushirou wonders which of his parents the real Yukio takes after more. The cold and spiteful Maria, or the quiet and reserved Werner.
He doesn't have long to wonder, because less than a minute later, Karin and Hina return.
"Hina-chan, sit down," Karin says, absent-mindedly. There's something odd about her voice, Toushirou notices, unable to figure out what until he gets a better view of Karin's face, and recognizes the expression as apologetic. Karin sighs, disappointed. "Yukio, I'm…"
She shows him her phone, and Toushirou skims the text. It's from Abarai.
"It's alright, Karin. These things happen," Toushirou says, slipping into the role of an understanding husband easily. "Do you want me to drop you off?"
"No, that's okay. You should enjoy the rest of the evening with your parents. Catch up with them. I can just take a taxi," Karin murmurs, before turning to his 'parents' and addressing them formally. "Kaa-san, Tou-san, I'm really sorry. Something came up at work."
"How convenient," Maria retorts, snide. "Is this revenge for us kicking you out earlier this year?"
"No, not at all," Karin insists, demure as she shakes her head. If they were anyone else but her in-laws, Karin would snap back at their rudeness, but Toushirou has never understood why Karin wanted so badly to get along with her in-laws. "I really wanted to treat you today, but —"
"Karin, you should wear this," Toushirou interjects, standing up so she focuses her attention on him. "It's cold outside."
"I'll be fine, Yukio," Karin smiles at him, softly, as she places her hand on his arm and stops him from removing his jacket. Instead, she leans in close so only Toushirou can hear. "I didn't mean to make them mad."
"Don't worry about it," Toushirou whispers back, even though he knows she will. "Just focus on work."
"I'll be going, then," Karin announces to her in-laws, and uses that as her cue to leave, Toushirou's eyes on her every step as she makes her way out of the room once more. "If I don't see you again this year, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"
Maria raises her glass and drinks, instead of repeating the sentiment, while Werner doesn't bother to respond at all.