Chapter 22: Award Ceremony
The Asahina family took up so much space that they needed two tables at the award ceremony. Miwa and Rinataro sat near the front since Miwa would have to go on stage to receive the award. None of the siblings had had a chance to talk with either Miwa or Rintaro, but there would be time after the ceremony when the room opened up for dancing.
Kaname sat beside Ema and decided to limit himself to only one drink tonight, something he rarely did. If he drank any more than that he was afraid he'd do something stupid in regards to his all too alluring stepsister. If Ema was anyone other than his stepsister, he'd do everything in his power to seduce her. A small part of him wished he was willing to take the plunge and try, but he knew that he could never forgive himself if he ever hurt Ema.
Also at Ema's table, Ukyo struggled to pay attention to what the host of the ceremony was saying rather than letting his eyes slide back to Ema. Part of him wished that he was seated at the other table so that he could pay better attention, but that would mean that one of his other brothers would be sitting here ogling Ema instead, and that was the last thing he wanted. His eyes slid back to Ema and he mentally berated himself. How was any man supposed to pay attention with a woman like Ema dressed like that?
Ukyo looked at his other brothers around the table. Louis, Masaomi, Wataru, and Kaname all seemed to be paying attention to the host, though Kaname's fingers were drumming on the table top, as though he were agitated. He glanced at the next table over to see Tsubaki and Azusa casting irritated looks over at their table, though the twins had no reason to complain since none of them were even talking to Ema. Yusuke and Subaru kept casting furtive glances in Ema's direction, as though hoping no one would notice. Fuuto didn't seem to be paying attention at all, though he wasn't looking at Ema either, and neither Natsume nor Iori had come tonight and in Hikaru's words, he refused to fly all the way back to Japan to support a woman who had never supported him with her physical presence.
When Miwa went up to get her award, Tsubaki finally took his eyes away from Ema to look at the stage and clap. It was cool that his mom was getting this award, really it was…but Tsubaki found himself unable to focus on anything other than Ema. He didn't want anyone else to dance with her. He knew that he couldn't prevent it from happening, but he also knew that the sight of it would drive him crazy.
When dinner and the award part were finally over, Tsubaki jumped to his feet and turned to look for Ema, only to find her making a beeline for the front of the room with Masaomi and Wataru behind her. Tsubaki sighed and sat back down. Of course Ema would congratulate Miwa first thing. She wouldn't be Ema if she didn't.
"Congratulations, Mom," Ema said, hugging Miwa. "You work so hard and have grown your company so much, you definitely deserve this award."
"Thanks you, Ema-chan," Miwa said, holding Ema tightly. "I'm so glad that most of you were able to make it tonight." She pulled back and held Ema by the shoulders as she looked her stepdaughter over. "You look so beautiful. I knew this dress would suit you."
"She looks like a woman," Rintaro said, staring at his daughter in dismay.
Miwa put a hand to her lips and giggled. "Ema-chan is a woman, Rin-kun. She's seventeen now. Next year she'll be in college."
"I know, but—" Rintaro stared at Ema in disbelief, wondering when all this had happened. She couldn't be a woman, could she? That meant she was old enough to date. Rintaro pushed that thought away, unwilling to deal with that at the moment. Tonight was about celebrating his wife's award.
Masaomi and Wataru moved forward to congratulate Miwa as music started playing and tables were moved away from the dance floor.
Ema felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Tsubaki. "Will you dance with me, Ema?" The music would be boring and mostly classical for a formal ceremony like this, but boring and classical usually meant close dancing, which Tsubaki was more than happy to accept.
Ema hesitated before nodding. "Okay." Tsubaki took her hand and led her to the dance floor. He pulled her close, wrapping on arm around her waist and holding Ema's hand with the other.
"I don't have an answer to give you yet," Ema said, staring at the wall behind Tsubaki rather than at Tsubaki.
Tsubaki sighed and tightened his grip on Ema. "I want to say that that sucks, but I know that I don't have a right to complain." He looked down at Ema, wishing that she would look at him. "I know that it's weird for me to go from happily being your older stepbrother to wanting to be your boyfriend, but I can't lie to myself, Ema. That's not who I am."
Ema finally looked at Tsubaki. "I don't think that you should lie to yourself, but…it's complicated. I don't know when I'll have an answer, Tsubaki-kun."
Tsubaki looked frustrated, and as the song ended, he pulled Ema closer before leaning down and kissing cheek. Ema blushed as Tsubaki stepped back and Subaru came forward. Ema held her hand against her cheek, hoping that Subaru hadn't seen the kiss. As she danced with Subaru, Ema told him the same thing she'd told Tsubaki; that she didn't have an answer for him.
"I understand," Subaru said, looking melancholy but patient as he stared into Ema's eyes. "I told you my feelings for you without any warning. I'm sure it must have felt like it was coming out of nowhere to you. I'll wait until you have an answer for me."
"Thank you, Subaru," Ema said sincerely, grateful both for Subaru's attitude and the distance he kept between them as they danced.
When the second dance ended, Ema went to the side of the room to grab ice water. Despite her nearly bare shoulders, the dancing and the crowd of people made the room feel warm. Ema gazed out at the crowd as she sipped her water, grateful to be out of the melee for the moment. Her family problems made everything feel more stressful.
Ema had just set her glass down when a hand grabbed her arm and yanked. Ema gasped and stumbled into someone's chest. She looked up to find herself staring into the laughing eyes of Fuuto. "Good evening, Nee-san," Fuuto purred. "I can't believe that I've gone all evening without speaking to you."
Fuuto slipped his arm along her waist and held her tight against him. He leaned down by her ear, speaking so close to her that his lips brushed against her. "You look absolutely luscious tonight. Were you hoping to seduce someone?"
"Fuuto-kun," Ema chastised, blushing and trying to pull away from him. Fuuto proved too strong and he moved them across the dance floor to the rhythm of the music until they ended up on a balcony outside. Fuuto led Ema to the side of the balcony, away from the open doors, and pinned her against the railing with his body.
"You know, you shouldn't dress like this unless you're hoping to get a reaction," Fuuto commented, running his fingers along the skin right above the start of Ema's dress. Ema gasped, her face flushing red and goosebumps following in the wake of Fuuto's fingertips. Fuuto chuckled and kissed Ema's jawline and neck. "Speaking of reactions," he murmured against her neck, "shouldn't you not be affected by this if you think of me as your little brother?"
Ema's eyes widened in shock, but before she could think of a response or Fuuto could do anything more, a dark voice said, "Let her go, Fuuto. Now."
Fuuto sighed and straightened up. "You're a real kill joy, you know that, Azusa?"
Azusa glared at Fuuto, his arms crossed over his chest. "Go back inside, Fuuto. You've caused more than enough trouble for one night."
Fuuto stuffed his hands in his pockets and sauntered back inside. As he passed Azusa he murmured, "Just because I'm not in front of her doesn't mean that she won't be thinking of me all night long. And don't bother thinking that you have a chance with her." Azusa hands curled into fists and he angrily watched his younger brother walk away. That brat seriously needed to learn some respect.
Turning his attention away from Fuuto, Azusa saw Ema still leaning against the railing, her arms crossed protectively across her chest and her gaze on the ground.
"Are you okay?" Azusa asked gently, moving to stand beside her.
"I think so," Ema said, giving a curt nod. Fuuto's last statement really bothered Ema. How was she supposed to feel about her stepbrothers kissing her? It wasn't like she was inviting the attention. It was true that Tsubaki's and Fuuto's attention didn't feel like that of family, but that had more to do with their intent than with Ema's feelings for them.
Azusa sighed and leaned his arms against the railing, wishing that he had gotten to Ema before Fuuto. Deciding he shouldn't put off what he wanted to say any longer, Azusa said, "I remember the first time we took you to the beach house, when we celebrated your birthday. I felt like I had no direction in life and like I was just adopting Tsubaki's life for my own. You made me feel like I wasn't, like it was okay for me to choose the same path as my brother and that it didn't mean that I was giving up on having my own future and my own dreams. And after that, when I was crushed after learning that Kya-chan only dated me because she wanted to use me, you made me feel like I was worth something."
While Azusa spoke, Ema lifted her eyes to look at him. He straightened up and took Ema's hands in his own. "You've always been there to support me, Ema, and I want to be there to support you in the same way. I—I love you, Ema. As a man, not as your brother."
Ema looked down at their hands and quietly said, "Others of our brothers have been confessing lately. I've always thought of the Asahinas as my family, so I don't know what to think."
"I know that they have," Azusa admitted, trying to swallow the lump of jealousy in his throat. He remembered the sight of Fuuto pushed against Ema and wondered if any of the others had tried anything with Ema yet. How many had confessed? He was sure that Tsubaki already had. His twin wasn't one to hold back. "I wanted to slowly let you know of my feelings for you, but when I saw my brothers moving forward, I was afraid that I might miss my opportunity to tell you. I had to let you know my feelings for you."
"Thank you for being honest," Ema said, remembering her conversation with Tsubaki earlier.
"I'll always try to be honest with you, Ema," Azusa said, bringing her hands up and kissing them. "I'll leave you alone now."
Ema was only alone for a few minutes before Louis joined her. "Em-chan?" He asked cautiously. "Are you okay? You've been out here for a while."
"Have I done something wrong?" Ema asked, her voice choked with tears. "I don't…I don't understand why this is happening. What did I do to make—" Ema cut herself off, too upset and confused to continue.
Louis sighed, immediately knowing what Ema was referring to. He'd have to be blind to not notice his brothers' feelings for their stepsister. Louis stepped closer and gathered Ema in his arms, patting her head. "All you've done is tried to be the best sister you could. I know that's what you've always wanted to be. All you can do is control your own actions. You can't control other people's reactions to your actions."
A/N: Fuuto is surprisingly fun to write. I did not expect him to be one of my favorites. Maybe I just enjoy that he's more forceful since so many of the brothers hide their feelings instead (especially with the scenario that I've created).
