Chapter 21: Jealousy
"What?" Subaru asked defensively when he saw Tsubaki smirking at him from the couch. He'd been telling Ema about his latest basketball game while she made dinner and had just come over to watch TV. Was Tsubaki going to harass him for actually talking to a girl? Subaru had been expecting either Kaname or Tsubaki to make fun of him for weeks for finally befriending a girl.
"Did you know you only ever talk to Ema about basketball? There are other topics out there, you know. Maybe you should try a little variety."
Subaru felt his face heat up. "Well, you only talk to her about anime. How is that any different?"
Tsubaki shook his head at Subaru, spreading his arms along the top of the couch. "My dear little brother, how naïve you are. Ema and I talk about all kinds of things. Especially when she, Azusa, and I go out to dinner together after work. I know the names of all her school friends and what she likes best and hates most about school. I doubt you know any of those things. Besides, anime is something we have in common. Not only are we working together on an anime, but we both love it and have for years. You and her have nothing in common."
"Yes, we do," Subaru automatically shot back. "She might not play basketball, but she likes it. She's come to two of my games and she enjoys talking about it with me. Half the time, she's the one who brings it up. She always asks about my practices and stuff."
"Mmhm," Tsubaki hummed, sounding unconvinced. "How do you know she isn't just being nice? She's that kind of a person, you know."
"What do you know?" Subaru groused, tired of the conversation. Of course he and Ema were friends. And had stuff in common. They played video games together sometimes, didn't they? That was different from basketball.
Subaru stomped back over to the kitchen. He would prove to Tsubaki that he and Ema had other things in common.
"Hey, Ema?"
"Yes?" Ema said, looking up from pouring vegetables into rice.
"Do you want to go hiking sometime?" Subaru was pleased when Ema's face lit up.
"I would love to! I'm pretty good, but I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with you. Your basketball training is pretty intense."
"That's fine," Subaru assured her. "I think it would be fun to go hiking. I don't really ever go. We don't have to try to be fast or anything."
"Okay," Ema said. "Of course, there's always the chance that I might surprise you. I do some pretty tough hikes."
Subaru turned and after taking a few steps, replayed the conversation they'd just had in his head and realized it kind of sounded like he'd asked Ema on a date. He froze, his heart suddenly jumping. Had he just asked Ema on a date? And had she just said yes?
~.~
Ukyo tried not to glare at his phone as he stared at a text he was becoming all too familiar with.
"Work will run late tonight, so I won't be able to help with dinner. Sorry! Don't wait for the three of us. We'll eat whatever is left over when we get home."
It wasn't that he begrudged Ema getting a job. He was just concerned. And he missed her. He had always enjoyed cooking, but since Ema started helping him, making dinner became something he greatly looked forward to. It was a quiet time where just the two of them were able to talk for a while. It was the most peace he'd ever found in this hectic house living with so many brothers.
And it wasn't as though he didn't have a right to be concerned. This was a time of life when young adults should be focusing on school, not splitting their time between school and a job. Ema had college to think about. Plus, it wasn't as though voice acting was a dream of hers. It would be different if that was her goal, but this was just a whim that Tsubaki had sprung on her.
And there was another concern right there. What if Ema became unduly influenced by Tsubaki and did become a voice actor? It wasn't a serious profession, and Ukyo had never approved of it. It certainly wouldn't be good for Ema to get overly involved in it.
"Is Ema home yet?" Yusuke asked, walking into the living room and looking around.
Ukyo felt his eyebrow twitch. "You were with her at the end of school when she left for work, weren't you? You should know where she is." That was another irritant. The fact that all his brothers felt the need to ask him where Ema was, as though any of them didn't know. It was a reminder that Ema wasn't where she should have been, with him making dinner. Not that he resented her not helping him, he just…missed her.
"Well, yeah, but I thought she would have been home by now," Yusuke said. "She makes it home for dinner at least half the time."
"Well, she won't today," he said, striving to keep his tone even. So deal with it, he mentally added.
Subaru came along a few minutes later. "Hey, where's Ema?"
Ukyo paused to stare balefully at his younger brother. "Where do you think she is, Subaru? She's at work, of course. She wouldn't miss helping with dinner otherwise."
"You don't have to get mad about it," Subaru said. "I was just asking."
As he walked away, Ukyo heard him muttering about Ema spending all her time with the twins these days.
Subaru was right, but it couldn't be helped. They worked together, after all. There was no meaning behind it other than that. Well, they were friends, of course, but there wasn't any special meaning to it. Outside of work, she still spent time with the rest of the family. It wasn't as though she devoted her free time to the twins. She hadn't decided to be with the twins instead of Ukyo that night. It was only work.
He shook his head, telling himself to stop being ridiculous and get back to cooking. It was silly for him to feel jealous and he needed to finish dinner.
He had almost finished when a third brother walked in and looked around.
"No Ema again, huh?" Fuuto asked, almost rhetorically. "Why the heck did I bother coming home if she's not even here?"
Fed up, Ukyo slammed his knife onto the cutting board. "I thought you didn't like Ema, Fuuto. You have made it abundantly clear that you don't appreciate her presence in our home and don't support us offering our aid to her to allow her to attend high school. Why do you care whether she's here or not? Unless you're merely hoping for a target to vent your frustration on. The way you treat her, regardless of how you may feel about her, is not acceptable, especially not to someone who is a guest in our home."
Fuuto gave Ukyo an unimpressed look. "What's it matter to you how I feel? And this is my home too, so I'll do what I want."
Ukyo gritted his teeth, wishing Ema's stupid anime would finish quickly.
~.~
"Ukyo? Is everything all right?" Ema asked later that night after finishing the dishes she and the twins had made. They'd arrived home just after everyone else had finished eating dinner. Ukyo knew this wasn't the case, but he almost felt like the twins had planned things that way so they could have Ema to themselves for just a bit longer. Ukyo was now sitting on the couch reading a law journal his company subscribed to.
"Yes, everything's fine," he lied. "Why do you ask?"
"You seem a little stressed," she said, clasping her hands by her chest. It was an adorable habit she often did when she was concerned about someone. "Did something happen at work? A tough case, maybe?"
He smiled and relaxed a little, grateful for Ema's concern. He didn't need any more proof than this that Ema not being home for dinner wasn't a desire to be with the twins over him. "Perhaps there is a little stress at work. I usually work it out cooking and speaking with you, but…" He trailed off as he realized it was true. Being a lawyer was stressful, but cooking with Ema allowed him to relax and unwind. It allowed him to just be home and be in the moment rather than worry about work.
"I'm sorry," Ema said sincerely and Ukyo immediately felt guilty for the remorse in Ema's eyes. Now she would blame herself for Ukyo being stressed. On the other hand, if it gave Ema a little more incentive to come home for dinner rather than going out with the twins, then he couldn't completely regret saying his feelings out loud.
"Why don't we make a dessert together tonight?" Ema asked, reaching for Ukyo's hand. "I've been craving strawberry cheesecake lately. Would that be okay?" She paused with her hand just above his, her eyes uncertain as she looked at the journal he was reading. Knowing her, she was undoubtedly concerned she was bothering him when he was busy.
Ukyo smiled and took her hand, his heart jumping when her soft skin touched his. "That sounds perfect."
