YAAAAAS I'm finally finished. The first day/night at the Asahinas is complete with this chapter! I'm so relieved, and excited to get further into the story OOOOO I GOT SHIT PLANNED. Please enjoy, and review if you did!

Disclaimer: I do not own BroCon or any of its characters.

Chapter Seven

Dinner

My heart is pounding in that strange way it does when you're seconds away from boarding a particularly threatening roller coaster – part anxiety and part giddiness. All this just from walking beside a guy I'm living with now, one who looks and acts like the perfect gentleman, and he's being so kind and easygoing that not even Juli had anything to say. Iori-kun shows me around the neighbourhood, comprised with houses of the same modern style as his – ours – and the ones I saw on my way here.

We cross paths with one of the boarders who lives on the bottom floor, and he introduces himself as Ryu Karasuma, a photographer who helps out with Miwa-san's work sometimes. He seems perfectly friendly as well, and he's all smiles as he examines me and gives Iori-kun the most sudden thumbs-up I've ever seen, then he's on his way back to the mansion. After that we continued on our tour as per usual, and he shows me the closest convenience store – two blocks away – and buys us iced tea. I'm immensely grateful for that, as I felt severely overdressed in sweltering weather like this, but at least it's cooling down as the sun sets and night approaches.

Sunrise Residence isn't located too far from the hustle and bustle of Kichijoji; downtown is easily within walking distance, and while we don't venture that far today, he shows me what streets to take to get there and recommends the best bookstores for study guides and the restaurants with the best food.

"Taking a walk in the park on a day like today is very relaxing, and good for when you need to take a break from all that insanity," he jokes, gesturing back in the direction of the house.

I let out a snort in synchronization with Juli. "I bet. I think I'm a bit too eager to make nice to be running from you guys just yet."

His brows furrow a bit at that, but the polished smiles remains on his face. "You seem a lot more excited than nervous about all of this."

"Is that a bad thing?"

He shakes his head, and I can't help but notice how impossibly soft his hair looks. I need to know his secret. "No, not at all. Unexpected, if anything. Then again, you did mention how you've never had much family."

I nod in confirmation. "Just me and my dad." When I receive a hissing protest from my shoulder, I roll my eyes and add, "And Juli." I press a finger to his smooth, furry forehead and he rubs against it – almost territorially. "Dinner's always quiet, even when he's home, and we get along so well… too well." I grit my teeth into a smile that I can't restrain, the kind that makes kids cry when they see me. "Sometimes I wish for a bit of action, like fighting for the last piece of food at the table or what to watch on TV."

Only after the words out of my mouth do I realize I sound like a sadistic lunatic, and before I can apologize Iori-kun is tilting his head back in laughter, and my face is as red as a traffic light. "You'll get no shortage of that here," he snickers, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "I'll make sure to include you any time I feel like starting a fight for food."

I made myself sound like a starving orphan, for the love of god. "Please do," is all I can think of to say, shaking my head at my own failings. He's still having a bit of a chuckle to himself when he says we should start heading back – Ukyo-san had texted him that dinner had arrived.

"That reminds me," Iori-kun says, cocking his head to the side. "You need everyone's numbers, don't you?" I nod, knowing that he means 'in case of emergency' instead of something more untoward. We exchange our cell phone numbers quickly then begin the walk back, tossing our emptied cans of tea into a recycling can along the way. He just gives a soft underhand throw while I beam it inside like a psycho, not intending to show off but just on reflex. This is how I discover that Iori-kun has an odd sense of humor; he's laughed every time I've done or said something passive aggressive in only the past hour, which is far too many to be normal. I've also never seen Juli look so embarrassed to be associated with me before, which is saying something.

The streets are fairly well-lit; the sky is just turning a soft violet, slashes of baby pink and orange still visible on the horizon, and we have no difficulty finding our way from the golden glow of the lights and dying sun. The mansion itself is surrounded by gentle pot lights on the boardwalk and around the giant tree, but I still manage to trip over my own feet, which is very unsurprising considering how much of a klutz I tend to be. Iori-kun catches me by the arm before I fall flat on my face and rights me with a snicker. "You can't be left to your own devices for a second, can you?"

Juli has the mood swing of a PMSing woman and starts spitting out insults while I take the far less defensive route and let out a laugh. "You make it sound like I'm a baby that's way too adventurous for its own good."

He quirks an eyebrow at me. "You're trying to tell me that your dad didn't have a tough time with you when you were a toddler?"

I cross my arms, indignant. "He thought I was trying to off myself when I got my hands on the cough syrup and downed it all in one swig, but that's besides the point. I'm a big girl now." There it is again – I'd made what could be considered a vulgar joke (even though it really happened) and it had him chuckling, albeit darkly. I'm glad to note that we have a similar sense of humour – which is dark, sarcastic, and borderline offensive. I can see us getting along in the future.

We're still having a little giggle when he opens the door for me and gestures for me to go first, which I thank him for before taking my shoes off and sliding back into my slippers. A high-pitched ding resounds through the entrance, and I briefly panic over leaving the oven on before I come back to reality and realize that one, I hadn't been cooking a damn thing and two, it's the elevator. Yusuke-kun emerges from it, looking perplexed, which quickly changes to a shocked confusion when he takes in the sight of our brother and I together.

"What were you two doing?" He asks quietly, his voice gruff and – suspicious? He couldn't possibly be thinking we were off doing something illicit on my first day of living here; he knows me better than that. Well, he doesn't know I'm a virgin and have only one person to call an ex (if that), but that's not exactly something I go around boasting about. Iori-kun comes to the rescue before I start over-analyzing everything that's happening in front of me.

"I was showing her around the neighbourhood," he says simply, his voice gentle and melodic. I swear it can probably lull me to sleep. "Where the convenience store is, how to get into town… that kind of stuff. What's for dinner?"

"Italian." Yusuke-kun's eyes are still narrowed, looking far more red than brown in the fluorescents, so I just smile at him easily, like I always have.

"You're cannibals? That's terrible," I gasp, putting a hand to my mouth, and Juli rolls his eyes so hard I think they're going to get stuck in the back of his head. Yusuke-kun snaps his head around to look at me, startled, then immediately looks away again. So he's back to avoiding eye contact, then. I deflate like a popped balloon, lowering my hands with a small sigh to expel any negative energy, then Iori-kun puts his hand on my shoulder to steer me towards the elevator.

"Well, we don't want them to get cold." I'd forgotten about the cannibal joke I'd just made and have a brief heart attack, but then realize he's being a good sport and relax again. "Are you coming, Yusuke?"

"Hinata," he says in response, and I turn to him with a cordial grin. "Mind if I talk to you for a sec?"

"No problem," I say, waving to Iori-kun. "We'll see you up there. Thank you so much for showing me around."

His smile is almost breathtaking, and I can see the bishounen sparkles exploding from behind him. "Any time. Don't be too long or you'll have to fight for it." When that makes Yusuke-kun groan in irritation, I laugh yet again and feel that giddy skip of my heartbeat at the thought.

After the elevator doors close on Iori-kun, the space around Yusuke-kun and I almost becomes like a vacuum of tension, sucking all the energy and comfort from the entryway. He definitely looks like he wants to say something from the frustrated set of his brow, something I'd grown accustomed to in the time we've known each other. I wonder if I should prod him for information or wait for him to continue on his own, but then he looks at me with an unreadable expression which I can only think of to smile at. That seems to have been enough: he says, "I'm not mad at all. Honestly."

I nod. "Okay. I'm glad."

He seems a bit taken aback by how quickly I'd accepted that, but quickly recovers and stumbles through his thoughts spewing out into words. "It's just weird, is all – you were just a classmate and now we're going to be living in the same house together. It's…" He shudders, and I'm briefly offended. I can't be that disgusting. "It's not something I ever thought would happen. But it doesn't mean I like you any less." His face goes red, and he elaborates. "I mean, I still think we're… we're friends. If you do, that is."

"Of course," I say, startled that he'd ever thought otherwise. I'd basically considered us friends from the day we met, when I'd nearly snapped some upperclassman's arm in his defense. Maybe that was presumptuous of me, though. "I never thought we weren't. And I agree – this is definitely weird, but I'm excited, too. At least we'll get to know each other better, right?"

Yusuke-kun hesitates, just for a moment, before answering. "Right. But I still don't think we should tell kids at school." He seems to feel bad for saying that, twisting his mouth like the words felt sour in it, but I nod in agreement nonetheless.

"Sure, I get where you're coming from." I think about how we'll be getting to school, how we'll realistically be leaving at the same time and taking the same train, essentially arriving together everyday. I purse my lips, wondering how I can dance around the truth of the matter. I can just say that I moved, and we live closer together now. It's not like I'd be lying.

He nods in turn, seemingly satisfied. "Good. I just didn't want you thinking that I disliked you being here, or anything like that. Because that's not true – at all." His flush deepens, embarrassed by what he just said, then he clears his throat to serve as a transition. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's get some grub."

"Absolutely," I sigh contentedly, beating him to the punch by pushing the elevator button so quickly he blinks in astonishment. "I'm really glad you're here, actually. Now I won't be so nervous to stuff my face, like usual." My eating habits are less than elegant; I pack my own lunch everyday, so naturally I pack as much as I think I'll eat, which is a monstrous amount. Yusuke-kun is grinning at the thought, having been privy to my pig-fest on more than one occasion.

"That's good; it's not like you to hold back." We step into the tight space together, and he keeps a space the size of another person between us, completely intentionally judging from his tight stance. "We always get a lot of food here, so don't be shy. With the way Kyo-nii cooks it's not exactly like leftovers are really necessary."

"Ukyo-san does the cooking?" I ask, curious. He certainly seemed like a driving force behind the household, with the way he controlled his brothers.

Yusuke-kun nods, his hair shining like embers in the elevator's warm light. "Almost every day – he packs lunches, too. He's been doing it for as long as I can remember… that's probably why he's so good at it."

"Hmm," I say, looking down to Juli for reinforcement. He just looks like he's stewing in his own misery, glaring at Yusuke-kun with daggers for eyes. "I can't wait to try it. Your lunches always look amazing."

That earns me a snort. "He's probably excited to show off. I think he was actually a bit disappointed when we all decided on takeout for tonight."

By now we've reached the fifth floor and the doors slide open with a swift, soft noise resembling a rush of wind. A few of my brothers are scattered on the couches in the loft, the rest of them already seated at the large dining table below. Kaname-san is the first to greet us when we exit the elevator by sweeping into a standing position, his robes barely grazing the ground. "Glad to see you've joined us, lil' sis," he tells me, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Yuu-chan," is all he says to acknowledge Yusuke-kun, which doesn't go unnoticed judging from the irritated twitch of his eyebrow.

"It smells delicious," I say excitedly, feeling my stomach widen into a yawn, desperate for food even though I've eaten today. I know that it doesn't matter; just like how I can sleep anywhere I feel warm, I can eat anywhere I smell food, no matter how much I've already had that day.

"That's good. Kyo-nii said you weren't picky, but we still worry." His other hand reaches up to my opposite shoulder, presumably to steer me, but he snatches it back when a certain finicky rodent rips his claws into the air, hissing.

"Juli!" I growl, silently begging him to behave. He mumbles something about being too familiar, and I roll my eyes heavenward.

Kaname-san is good enough to just laugh it off, waving his hand languidly through the air. "No worries. I'd be possessive of you, too, if I was him." Oh. Well, I have no idea how to respond to that except to press my lips together, a bit astounded.

"Knock it off, Kana-nii," Tsubaki-san says, appearing out of nowhere and giving me a start. "Let the poor girl eat without harassing her!"

"That's rich, coming from you," Azusa-san calls from one of the couches, a stack of assembled papers resting in his lap, his eyes never moving from their pages.

"You come eat, too," says the eldest twin. "Work later. Food now."

"Yes," I agree instantaneously, sick of the pleasantries and desperate for food like the mean-spirited person I am. "Food now."

"Hinata's got an appetite on her," Yusuke-kun adds, swatting Kaname-san's hand off of my shoulder. "Better get out of her way."

Tsubaki-san's violet eyes (or eye, rather, seeing as only one is visible from his hair) bore into him, and I watch in muted horror as he gets the tiniest yet most devilish smirk on his face. "Yusuke, don't you think you should start calling her by her first name? We're in the same family, after all."

"Toss off," Yusuke-kun hisses, cheeks beet red. "I do what I want."

"Vivi's such a cute name, though!" I'm practically bouncing with hunger now, looking at Yusuke-kun, the one stable and familiar figure I have at the moment, desperately.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go," he says, getting the message. He gestures for me to follow him down the stairs and I move to follow him so quickly I stumble, then right myself before anyone else has to ask me if my face feels okay after falling on it. I hear a few muffled snickers, and feel my cheeks redden before taking the stairs carefully to reach the dinner table, the promised land.

The only table I've ever sat at with so many people is in the cafeteria at school; never in a place like home. I have no idea where to sit until Wataru yanks on my arm – not roughly – and tells me to sit next to him. Relieved I don't feel that pressured into making a decision, I plop down beside him and we exchange a gleeful smile. On the other side of him is Masaomi-san, then on my other side is Yusuke-kun. The farthest away from me are Iori-kun, who meets my gaze with a smile, and Subaru-san, who looks away quickly. My heart pangs in panic – I hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable. I'm sure there will be better chances for us to get along; I don't want to pressure anyone when we're all gathered together like this. I return to a standing position quickly when I see Ukyo-san in the kitchen, and immediately offer to help him bring the food out. He seems a bit surprised to see me there all of a sudden, but accepts gracefully.

Everyone is at the table by the time we get all the food set down. I'm almost drooling on it, and that's no exaggeration; the smell of the rich seasoning wafts into my nose and makes my stomach roar. There's pasta, salad, chicken, sausage, house-made bread, rice tossed with tomato and spinach… I want it all. My dad used to always joke that I act like I may perish if I don't eat food immediately after I see it, and in this moment, it feels like I just might. Ukyo-san asks me what I'd like to drink after I reassume my seat, and since I don't think he'll appreciate me asking about booze as a lawyer, I ask for water. All the eldest siblings have either beer or wine, except for Masaomi-san and Subaru-san, who are stuck with water as well. I'm bursting with glee when we all clap our hands together in unison and say thanks for the meal, then they all look to me to serve myself first, which I happily comply to. I'm not shy when it comes to a meal, and my plate's loaded in a blink, then everyone else is serving themselves, chuckling, swatting hands away. I almost can't eat, my stomach feels so full of joy – almost.

"Is it good?" Kaname-san asks me, amused, and my mouth is full so I can only nod. The seasoning isn't too heavy, and the chicken is cooked well enough that it isn't rubbery or tough. It's a bit spicy, but I love spicy foods the most, so I don't particularly mind. "I'm glad."

I rip off some of my bun and pass it down to Juli, who is oddly polite in dining situations such as these and moves to the floor. Sometimes I forget that he really is a wild animal, since he has such a strong personality and just seems to human, and that it's considered rude for him to be eating at the table. While I usually completely neglect to chastise him for it even if it does happen, he knows well enough to stay away from food people are eating and to keep to himself. It breaks my heart, a little; I want him to feel comfortable here, too, despite how much he's voiced that he doesn't think it's going to happen. No one comments on my feeding him, though, which I'm grateful for.

"How's school going for you, Vivi-san?" Ukyo-san addresses me, and I choke on my food a little at his formality. "Yusuke's basically a lost cause by now, so we don't really know what's going on."

"Hey, I resent that," the guy in question snaps, jabbing his fork with speared sausage on it at his older brother, who glares in response.

"It's going well," I say, making sure I've swallowed my entire bite. "It's getting to be a bit busier, since we have tests before summer vacation." I feel my classmate wither beside me, and repress a snicker. "My grades are pretty average, so I've got some studying to do."

"That goes double for you, kid," I hear Tsubaki-san tease Yusuke-kun, who returns the sentiment with a rude gesture Masaomi-san very swiftly turns Wataru's head away from seeing. He's probably used to diverting the youngest's attention; he hadn't even looked away from his plate.

We make idle chatter throughout dinner, and there's a moment where it feels as though I step away from myself, examine the scene before me as a third party. The image I see, of myself smiling and laughing with a group of strangers who are now my family, is disorienting; I never thought that something like this was possible for me before. The only family I had besides my father were his parents, who we went to visit every summer, and it was just them; no aunts, no uncles, no cousins. There's personality in this home, liveliness that mine desperately lacked – and that I desperately wanted. It's true when they say that delicious food is better enjoyed with company; while this meal could be undoubtedly good on its own, it was so much better when I was surrounded with people that, let's face it, I'd have in my life for the remainder of it (that's looking at things positively, anyway). Juli doesn't even gripe at me during the meal; he can sense how happy I am just to be sitting there, surrounded by people, welcomed without a second thought.

When dinner is finished I help Ukyo-san clean up without having him ask me to; they'd treated me to dinner, and I felt as though I owed him as such. Not to mention that I wanted them to know that I am always available to help, that I will feel far more welcomed here if they just treat me like they treat each other and just pour expectations on me. They have a dish washer, naturally; they must have an insane amount of dishes to deal with every night, an amount no one should wash singlehandedly. I do scrub off the serving plates in the sink since they're too big to fit in there; the soap they use smells better than the one I had at Dad's house, like fresh cucumber and mint. It's astonishingly comforting to be in the kitchen with the sounds of running water and a rumbling dishwasher, laughter and voices and television audible from the other room. I recognized Tsubaki-san's and Yusuke-kun's voices hollering out above the rest, and Wataru giggling like a little boy has every right to. Iori-kun and Azusa-san remained at the dinner table, looking distinctly focused on papers and text in front of them, and when I make eye contact with the older one, he smiles kindly and sets his work down.

"I didn't mean to distract you," I say when he strides over and leans against the island separating the kitchen from the dining room.

"It's no trouble," he laughs easily, pushing up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows. "I needed a break anyway to think about the script I'm working on. Want some help?"

Not need some help, but want, as if he knew I could handle it on my own but wanted to offer anyways. He has a dish towel in his hands before I can answer and is swiping them clean with an expertise that indicates he's done it several times before.

"Thank you," I say, hands buried in fresh-smelling suds.

He shakes his head, his hair flipping over to reveal his other eye concealed by it; I don't know why I figured something was wrong with it, but I was a bit surprised that it looked as normal as the other one. He's not a damn pirate. "I like cleaning. Tsubaki's messy enough that I'm always left to put his wave of destruction back together – it's not like I mind, though."

"I like it, too," I confess with a snicker. "There's something just so satisfying about watching something get completely rid of any clutter or grime to reveal something beautiful and neat underneath." I have to take a deep breath to calm myself down. "It gives me the chills, I swear. Nothing feels as good as having hard work pay off."

His smile is so wide that, startlingly, my breath catches. I return back to staring at the bubbles bursting from the sink, my hands submerged in water that's starting to get cold, and wonder what the hell that was about. "I completely agree. I'm glad to have someone around that doesn't mind it as much as I do."

I'm about to respond when his twin suddenly latches onto his back like a small mammal, whining in his ear about being lonely or some such without him. "Everyone's trying to hog you," he says to me, almost threateningly if not for the nefarious grin on his face. "I need to get my time with you, too – tell the others to buzz off."

"Settle down," Azusa-san says, brushing him off as if he weighs less than nothing. "If you actually bothered to clean up after yourself, maybe you could get more time together."

Tsubaki-san perks up, his eyes lighting up like fireworks shattering the darkness of the night sky. "Really?!"

"I dunno. Who can say."

"Don't be cruel to me, Azusa-chan!" I'm stuck trying to hold in hysterics as I watch two fully grown men fall all over each other, one whining like a child and the other like he's nearly dead inside from dealing with it so much. Juli rests on the island in front of me, lounging like a foreign queen on a chaise with palm leaves fanning her, and looks carefully guarded while trying not to be amused. Azusa-san regrettably gets dragged away before we can finish up, and Masaomi-san steps in to help me finish.

"I'm actually kind of relieved that you ended up being our new sister," he tells me after I finish rinsing all the remaining suds out of the sink. "Wataru really took a shine to you when we met. I'll be in your care from now on," he adds with a mellow, easy smile, extending his hand to me for another shake. I take it, his hand as cold as they had been when they'd touched my leg earlier – god, was that only just today? – and find that it's incredibly soft, his grip gentle and mine carefully so.

"Likewise," I say with a grin, and he reaches into his pocket to give me a lollipop. I wonder if he carries these things around everywhere he goes, but I like sweets enough that I figure it doesn't really matter and I just pop it into my mouth without question.

"You've got school tomorrow, yes?" He asks, and I nod, not wanting to remove the candy from my mouth. My hands had moved to my pockets without my notice, Juli curled around my neck like an ermine, and I extract them self-consciously, thinking that the gesture isn't too effeminate. "It's way past Wataru's bedtime; I let him stay up later tonight because of all the excitement."

"Sorry," I say, then realize I don't really have anything to apologize for. "I didn't mean to impose. I should probably be heading to my room, as well."

Masaomi-san beckons Wataru to his side, and Yusuke-kun joins me in heading to the elevator, needing to retire for the night judging from the exhausted look on his face. All my new brothers call out their goodnights to me, and the four of us gather in the elevator to engage in a ride that can only be described as bouncy, from the way Wataru is practically vibrating with glee. My stop is the first one, so when I'm saying goodnight and thank them again for having me, he throws his arms around my waist. I'd never been hugged by someone so small before; I'm not entirely sure what to do with my hands. I settle for laying one on his shoulder and the other on his head, and he needs to be practically ripped off of me by Masaomi-san, and I quickly realize it's because he'd actually fallen asleep holding me like that.

"Poor guy must be tuckered out," Yusuke-kun murmurs, looking almost impressed.

"Yes, I agree," the eldest responded with a soft laugh, then said goodnight to me just as softly. Yusuke-kun couldn't make eye contact with me when he mumbled out his parting words, but I didn't mind; I think we're actually getting on a lot better than before, which I know Juli's not entirely jonesed about.

I shuffle to my room, recalling that it's the first one down the horseshoe hallway, and pop open the door with my entire weight behind it. I felt entirely zapped of energy, no doubt a product of going on a wild ride of emotion and being out in the sun for so long. I turn the light on low – my switch serves as a dimmer – and I quickly remove my makeup, wash my face, and brush my teeth before tying my hair into a long braid that falls to my waist. I'm about to change into my pajamas when I suddenly get a bit self-conscious, and close over my curtains over the glass balcony doors before I take my bra and whatnot off, using the old strap off the shoulder then unbuckle trick, slipping it out from the bottom of my shirt and leaving it in a drawer.

I wonder how early I should get up tomorrow. I contemplate what time to set my alarm for as I shut off the main light and flick on my bedside lamp, and decide that earlier is better. Even though four people retiring for the night is typically a regular household's quiet time, I can still hear voices and laughter through my ceiling, as well as gentle footsteps and the hum of the television. I'm so used to nearly unbearable silence that I get the jitters as I lay in bed, listening to my new brothers argue over what channel to put on, someone snapping at another to get out of the bathroom already. I'm grinning so widely into the darkness, like a weirdo, that my face actually aches.

"Good night, Chii," Juli settles for saying, curling into a ball just to the side of my center pillow. "Be on your guard tomorrow. Quit letting them get so cozy!"

"Night, Juli," I sing, rolling onto my side. My fists are clenched tightly to my chest, as if I can hold in the explosive glee that I feel just by being here, in a new room where I can hear the soft chatter from upstairs like comforting whispers.

It's the first time in what feels like years that I fall asleep almost instantly, and that I'm looking forward to tomorrow and whatever it may bring.

YAAAAY IT'S FINISHED. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and all its interactions with the boys, and I hope you guys did, as well! I put off so much schoolwork to get this done oh my goodness. I don't even feel the slightest bit bad. I'll start writing the next chapter ASAP, and I hope y'all stay tuned!