A/N: I am so sorry! I go through BroCon phases and this last phase has phased out…I'm sorry to say that I've lost all interest in this fic. However, I already had this chapter plus four more written, so there's no reason for me not to post these other than the fact that I was waiting until I had the motivation to go through and edit them. Thanks to That Artist Girl's review, I finally found the motivation. I will keep all my notes for this story in the hopes that when my next BroCon phase hits, I'll want to finish this.

Chapter 36: Race

"What are you two doing here?" Natsume demanded, crossing his arms as he stared at his triplets.

"We came with Ema to cheer you on in your race, bro," Tsubaki said, putting a hand on Ema's shoulder. "We thought you could use more support."

Natsume fought the frown that wanted to form when Tsubaki put his hand on Ema. Natsume remembered that Tsubaki had always been hugging and holding Ema's hand when she was little. He'd assumed that now that Ema was older, that had stopped, but what if it hadn't? "I didn't invite the two of you, I invited Ema."

"Oh, come on, Natsume. How long has it been since the three of us spent time together? Azusa and I miss you. And how could we not come support our little brother?"

"It's your first race in a long time," Ema said, her eyes bright with excitement. "Isn't it nice to have more support?"

Ema looked so excited that Natsume couldn't tell her that no, it wasn't nice to have his twins there. It wasn't as though he resented their presence. He'd just been looking forward to spending time with Ema alone when they went out for lunch afterward. There was no way Tsubaki and Azusa wouldn't join them. And why had those two decided to come?

It wasn't unbelievable that Tsubaki had decided he wanted to come support Natsume and dragged Azusa along, but if that was case wouldn't Tsubaki have texted Natsume beforehand? And if Tsubaki had wanted to surprise Natsume with his presence, he should have made a bigger deal out of it. Natsume couldn't help thinking that Tsubaki's presence had more to do with Ema than with him. And hadn't Azusa been all bent out of shape when he learned Natsume had asked Ema to go to the launch party with him?

"Sure," Natsume said, laying a hand on Ema's head. "I need to go get ready for the race. I'll see you guys in a bit." He couldn't help glancing back at the three of them as he walked away. Ema was still looking in his direction and he waved to her, but both his triplets' attention were on Ema. Was it possible all three of them were falling for the same woman?

~.~

"Ema sure seems excited about all this," Tsubaki said as he and Azusa stood a little back from the small crowd cheering the racers on. Ema looked like one of the most engaged members of the audience.

"She's always supported all the Asahina brothers in whatever we do," Azusa said. Like Tsubaki, his attention was more on Ema than their little brother. "It's not strange that she's excited for Natsume. And they've spent all that time hiking together. She's kind of helped him train for this, so you could say she has a vested interest in the outcome."

"You think that's all it is?" Tsubaki asked. He and Azusa still hadn't discussed Azusa confessing to Ema or the fact that they both wanted Ema, but at least they could both agree that they didn't want Ema getting too close to Natsume. Or, more accurately, they didn't want Natsume getting too close to her.

"Of course, it is," Azusa said, then lowered his voice. "What are the chances that all three of us would fall for her?"

"I guess," Tsubaki said, still feeling grumpy. "I wish I did some kind of sport for Ema to come cheer me on and help me practice."

Azusa rolled his eyes.

~.~

That night, Natsume frowned at the text from Sakura. Once again, she was trying to set him up on a date with Miako. Sakura claimed that it was a Saturday get together with their coworkers and a few friends, but there were enough hints there that it was clear that Sakura wasn't done trying to play matchmaker.

He hadn't wanted his coworkers to tease him or to get the wrong idea when he brought Ema to the launch party, so he'd made it clear they were just friends. It appeared that had been a mistake. Maybe if his coworkers believed he was interested in Ema, they would drop the whole Miako thing, except how was he supposed to accomplish that now?

A thought occurred to Natsume and he smiled before grabbing his phone and making a call.

"Hi, Natsume!" Ema's enthusiastic voice over the phone made Natsume's smile stay in place. "Are you sore after your run today? It's so exciting that you took third place!"

"No, I'm not sore. The race was shorter than what I usually run. And my technique wasn't as good as it should have been. If I'd held the proper running form the whole race, I would have taken second or first."

"You're so hard on yourself," Ema chided. "This was your first race after how many years? And you still managed to place. I think you should be pleased. Now that it's warmer, we'll have to start up on our hikes again."

"Definitely," Natsume agreed. "And thanks again for coming to support me. I really appreciated it." It would have been nicer if his twins hadn't gone to lunch with them after. Tsubaki and Azusa had insisted on sitting next to Ema and Tsubaki had put his hands on Ema way more than necessary, but at least they wouldn't be around if Ema agreed to Natsume's plan, and she had offered her help back at the launch party.

"Listen, I'm sorry to ask this, but I'd like a big favor from you if you're willing."

"Of course," Ema said. "What is it?"

Natsume chuckled. "You should probably listen to a person before agreeing so readily. Do you remember meeting the girl Miako at the launch party? She was with my coworkers Shin and Sakura."

"Yeah, I remember her. She was really pretty. She didn't seem to like video games though. I wonder why she went to the launch party at all if that's the case."

Natsume winced. "If you recall, I told you then that Miako and Sakura seem pretty sure Miako and I would make a great couple. That's why she came. We have absolutely nothing in common, so I'm not sure where either of them got the idea that we would make a good couple from. I haven't given Miako the slightest hint that I'm interested, but she's not backing off and neither is Sakura. Now Sakura has set up yet another thing hoping to get Miako and me together. I don't want to be rude and I was wondering if you would be willing to go as my pretend date. If they think I'm dating someone else, maybe they'll back off. It's nothing big, just a game night at Shin's apartment."

Silence came from the other end of the phone, so Natsume hurried to add, "It would be nice if the launch party would have been enough, but I hadn't expected Miako to be there and beforehand I made it clear to my coworkers that you and I are just friends since I didn't want them to be weird about me bringing a girl. I think that's why Sakura tried to pump you for information on what kind of girl I like. At the launch party, you offered to be an excuse for me. Would you still be willing to do that?"

"I see," Ema said. "I can understand you not wanting to be rude and it would be awkward to have a girl you're not interested in keep trying to date you. I can come."

"Thanks," Natsume said, relieved. When Ema hadn't said anything at first, he'd feared he'd pushed her too far. "I know it's a lot to ask. I really owe you."

"No, you don't," Ema said. "Friends don't help each other out to owe each other. They help each other out because they're friends."

"Thanks, Ema," Natsume said again.

~.~

Ema felt awkward in Natsume's coworker's apartment. She knew she was the youngest person in the room, but she didn't know by how much. She wondered how old everyone else thought she was. Clearly old enough to have alcohol since that had been offered to her. She hoped she wouldn't do something to give away the fact that she was only seventeen.

"I thought you two were only friends," Sakura said, her smile a little sharp as she looked between Natsume and Ema.

Natsume's arm was along the back of the couch, not quite touching Ema. She got the sense that Natsume felt as awkward as she did about pretending to be a couple.

"Friends become lovers all the time," Natsume said. "I think that's a better way then dating strangers and trying to find out if you're compatible."

"I agree," Ema jumped in. "It's so much easier if you already know the person. Then you don't have to try to get to know one another and find out if you fit or if you can even stand the person. You already know most of what you need to. With my last two boyfriends I went straight to dating them without being friends first and neither turned out well. Going forward I only want to date people I already care about and trust." Ema remembered having a similar conversation with Iori. She really did plan to only date friends from now on. Not that she was in any rush, of course.

"I see," Shin said. "You were probably testing out the waters when you asked Ema to come to the launch party, right, Natsume? You didn't have the guts to ask her straight out, so you tried to play it cool like you were only going as friends."

Ema glanced over to see Natsume blushing. She was pretty sure she had never seen Natsume blush and couldn't help giggling at the sight, though she covered her mouth to stifle the sound. Natsume must have heard because he glanced at her and smiled.

"I don't know, you look a little young for Natsume," Miako said. She had a smile on her face, but there was a bite to her voice. "He seems like the kind of guy who might want an experienced woman."

Ema didn't know what kind of girl Natsume would be interested in since she knew nothing about his past girlfriends, but somehow she didn't think 'experienced' would be on Natsume's list of things to look for in a woman. And she was quite sure he wouldn't want a catty girl like Miako. He was too nice to date someone like that.

"I have a baby face," Ema said with a shrug. "All my friends tease me about it." She should have worn her hair down and put more makeup on. She looked older when she did that.

"Now, now," Shin said good naturedly, "Natsume's practically a baby himself. He's what, twenty-four? He's the youngest one in our department at least. So what if he'd dating a college girl? He only graduated a few years ago. Now, let's get started on our game shall we?"

The game was played in pairs and to win you had to partner with someone you knew well. The object of the game was who could answer the most questions for their partners and the topics ranged from wort nightmares as a child to favorite color to future dreams. Ema was pleased that she and Natsume dominated. Of course, they had known each other for longer than anyone else in the room.

"All right," Sakura declared after a while, throwing down the card she held with questions listed on it. "I give. You two are just too adorable together. I swear, even when you don't know the answer, you stare into each other's eyes and figure it out. I don't think I've ever seen a couple more suited for each other than the two of you."

Ema blushed. She hadn't considered it 'staring into each other's eyes', but it was true that Ema and Natsume had a habit of studying each other as they thought over an answer they were unsure of. Still, the game had been a lot of fun and most of Natsume's coworkers were really nice. Ema was glad she had come.

"I agree," Shin said. "The winner here is clear. Next time, I'm bringing my brother and I want a rematch."

"Sure," Natsume agreed, glancing at his watch. "If you're that interested in being beat again. In the meantime, it's getting late. Ema and I had better head out."

Once they were in the hall, Natsume murmured, "Thanks, Ema. I really appreciate you coming."

"Of course!" Ema said. "It was a lot of fun."

A throat cleared behind them and Ema whirled to see Miako. Despite the fact that they had only been playing a game at an apartment, Miako wore a short dress that looked more appropriate for clubbing than hanging out in an apartment.

Ema was grateful neither she nor Natsume had said anything about her only pretending to be Natsume's girlfriend.

"You two might know each other well, but you don't seem very close," Miako said, looking Ema up and down. "I didn't see you touch each other once and there just doesn't seem to be any chemistry between you. I'm good at sensing things like that."

Ema flushed. Was Miako trying to insinuate that she planned to try and steal Natsume from her? Not that she and Natsume were actually dating, but it was still rude. This girl had irked Ema just about beyond what she could stand. Not to mention the whole point of Ema coming had been to make this lady back off.

"No chemistry?" Ema asked, raising her eyebrows. "Because we're polite and don't show our affection for each other in front of other people? Public displays of affection are rude in several cultures, you know, but if you don't want us to be polite…"

Ema turned back to Natsume and raised on her toes, bracing one hand against Natsume's chest to kiss him. He made a surprised sound before his hands tentatively came to her hips. She moved closer pulling his head down and he relaxed against her, taking a firmer grip. In the back of her mind, Ema wondered if all the Asahina brothers were such good kissers or if it was just the triplets.

Ema slowly pulled back from the kiss, but stayed pressed against Natsume as she turned to give Miako a look that wasn't quite a glare. "I don't think you need to worry about our chemistry."

Miako flushed red, but turned and stomped back into the apartment.

Ema looked up to see Natsume looking dazed as she stepped away from him. "Sorry," she apologized. She blushed now, surprised at her own audacity and a little worried about what Natsume would think. She wasn't afraid of him misunderstanding and thinking she was interested in him, but it was rude to kiss someone without their permission. "I lost my temper," Ema explained. "Miako was rude all evening and it didn't seem like she planned to give up, but still…"

"Uh, don't worry about it," Natsume said, clearing his throat. "Like I said, I appreciate the help." He smiled and Ema relaxed. He didn't seem upset about her kissing him. "Though I hope you wouldn't mind spending time with my coworkers again. They really liked you and I'm sure Shin was serious about inviting us over to play again."

"That's fine," Ema said. "I had a really good time. Most of your coworkers and their friends were really nice." Ema took Natsume's arm as they continued to his car. He paused for a moment before patting her hand with his and continuing on.

~.~

"Well, that was a surprise," Shin said, grinning. "Who would have thought the stoic Natsume would go and get himself a girlfriend? I've never seen him have so much fun in all the time I've known him. Or smile so much. I'm glad he managed to find a girl who seems to understand him."

"Yeah, now if only he doesn't mess it up," another coworker joked. "He's so married to his job that he might."

"Ah, that girl loves our games," Shin said, waving a dismissive hand. "She's Natsume's mystery tester for our demos. I think she'll be understanding of Natsume working late hours so long as he doesn't do anything too dumb."

"He could have said he was interested in someone," Sakura grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Natsume?" Shin scoffed. "What makes you think he'd ever be that open with coworkers? I bet his own brothers probably didn't even know. Speaking of which, I wonder how introducing her to all the Asahinas will go. It can't be easy finding out your boyfriend has twelve brothers. But I guess they've known each other for years, so Ema probably already knows about all the brothers. Since that didn't scare her away, I bet nothing will."