Yuuta was the first one up the next morning, and he immediately collapsed in front of TV, turning it up loudly to drown out the thoughts swirling through his brain. He didn't know quite what to think with his brother unhappy and his sister unable to help, so his mind seemed to be compensated by thinking a million different thoughts at once, none of which were about a good way to make things better.
He jumped when someone knocked on the door, loudly and repeatedly. Annoyed, he turned off the TV and went to answer it. One of Syuusuke's teammates was standing in front of it—Momoshiro, if Yuuta remembered correctly—looking like he was about to bolt. "Is Fuji-senpai here?" he asked. "Umm, I mean—"
"I'll get him," Yuuta cut in in an effort to stop his babbling before it could start. "Come in." Momoshiro entered and stood awkwardly by the door. He still looked like he was considering running away, and although Yuuta barely knew the other boy, he doubted this frightened expression was normal for him.
Syuusuke was in his room, sprawled out on the bed. He appeared to be asleep, but he opened his eyes immediately when Yuuta said, "Somebody's here to see you." For a fraction of a second, his sleepy expression was childlike and unguarded and he looked almost like a stranger, but then his customary smile spread across his face and he looked like Syuusuke again.
"Momoshiro-kun, I think," Yuuta added. Syuusuke seemed to stiffen for an instant, but he relaxed so quickly that Yuuta wasn't sure if he had imagined it. His brother rolled off the bed and walked out without looking at him, and Yuuta trailed after him.
"Fuji-senpai," Momoshiro said when they returned. Seeing how uneasy he looked, Yuuta remembered Inui putting him on the list of suspects, and he wondered what this was about. If he was the one responsible and he'd come to finish the job (which sounded ridiculously overdramatic even in Yuuta's head), surely he wouldn't be looking so nervous. Besides, he'd have to be an idiot to try anything when he would have two angry siblings to deal with. Maybe this was about something else entirely and Yuuta was just hoping too hard for some sort of resolution.
Syuusuke didn't greet his friend, just said, "Let's go outside" and led him out. He closed the door behind them, and Yuuta was left alone. He knew he should go away and let them do whatever they needed to by themselves, but he needed to know what was going on. Quieting his conscience, he went and stood by the door to listen to them talk.
"What can I do for you?" Syuusuke was asking, and the uncharacteristic coldness behind his polite words erased any doubt from Yuuta's mind as to whether Momoshiro was the one who had hurt him.
"I've been thinking about what happened," Momoshiro said. "And I realized that I was completely out of line. I mean, you were just making a joke, and I really overreacted." He was talking too fast, tripping over his words as though he was in a great hurry to get them out. "And even if you weren't joking, it's none of my business whether you want to jump every guy you see or some guys or whatever it is you said." Yuuta almost choked. Had Syuusuke really said something like that? He didn't think he really wanted to know.
"You're my friend," Momoshiro continued. "And I had no reason to suspect that you meant you had any intentions toward me. I was just surprised and I assumed that's what you were saying. It was stupid and I'm really sorry and—"
"Stop, Momo-chan," Syuusuke said. "You sound like Ibu-kun." Although he couldn't see his expression, Yuuta was pretty sure he was laughing. How like Syuusuke; all it took was an apology and he was back to normal.
Momoshiro laughed too, a short, nervous laugh. "So...you're not mad at me?" he asked, sounding surprised.
"It was a misunderstanding. Forget about it," he said firmly.
"Okay," Momoshiro said brightly. After a moment, he added, "I'll see you at practice tomorrow."
"See you," Syuusuke replied. Yuuta realized abruptly that he shouldn't be standing there so obviously eavesdropping, so he ran back to sit in front of the TV, flipping it on. Syuusuke opened the door a moment later, and from the look he gave him, Yuuta was sure his brother knew he'd been listening.
"What did he want?" Yuuta asked casually, muting the TV. He didn't think Syuusuke would give him any further explanation, but it was worth a try.
"Just to talk," Syuusuke said, and with his smile and cheerful tone, Yuuta couldn't tell if he was annoyed or not. It was frustrating, but at least he was back to his normal inscrutable self. "Your cell phone's ringing," he added.
Sure enough, the beeping of a cell phone was coming from Yuuta's room. He ran to pick it up. "Hello?
"Hello. It's Inui." Without waiting for him to say anything, the other boy continued, "I've found out—"
"Inui-san," Yuuta stopped him. "Forget it. It's over."
There was a pause before Inui asked, "What do you mean?"
"Momoshiro-kun just came and apologized." He was going to say more, but he looked up then and saw Syuusuke standing in the doorway. His brother strode across the room and plucked the cell phone out of his hand.
"Inui?" he asked pleasantly. "Yes. That's right." Then his pleasant tone acquired the slightest edge as he continued, "Inui, next time you want to know something, ask me. Don't bring my brother into it." There was a pause, then he added brightly, "See you tomorrow" and hung up.
"You didn't need to do that," Yuuta grumbled. He doubted Inui was particularly offended, but for his part, he was bothered by the implication that he shouldn't be involved in worrying about his brother. On the other hand, he had wanted the normal Syuusuke back, and here he was, overprotectiveness and all. It's not that simple, he thought angrily. You can't just pretend nothing happened. But it seemed Syuusuke intended to do just that, at least ostensibly, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Syuusuke didn't respond, just handed the cell phone back with a smile. "Everything's okay now," he said. "You don't have to stay here anymore."
He was right. There wasn't really anything Yuuta could have done to help in the first place, but now it seemed Syuusuke didn't even need help. He could return to school and try to forget this whole mess, and he could go back to avoiding his brother without feeling guilty. It would be easier for both of them that way.
And yet, he was already home, and he didn't need to head back yet. It had been nice to be home for the first time in a while and to see his siblings. He didn't need to run away just because it was a little uncomfortable, and perhaps he should spend a little more time with Syuusuke before his resentment began to outweigh his sympathy.
Yuuta shrugged, as though he didn't much care either way. "It's early," he said. "I can stay a little longer."
Author's Note: And that's the end. I hope you all enjoyed it and found it a satisfactory ending. Any and all reviews will be appreciated/treasured/squeed over. Thanks for reading!
Oh, and I also posted a bit of an epilogue to this story. It's titled "Aftermath" and can be found through my profile page because doesn't seem to want to let me do links.