A/N: Shout out to koreaboo94 for complaining that the sexy Ukyo didn't get the love he deserved and for pushing me to write his chapter, as well as a shout out to other people throughout the years who have expressed that they wished more endings had been written. I might be rusty since I haven't written bro con in a while, but I hope this satisfies the Ukyo fans out there!
Also, shameless plug for reviews, this isn't the first time I've gone back to a story and posted more because of reviews (or created a sequel because of reviews). They have an impact and they are wonderful! I have an outline of ending chapters for Subaru, Iori, and Louis and vague ideas of possible endings for Hikaru and Wataru as a high school senior.
Chapter 37: Ukyo
"Aren't I supposed to be over this insecurity?" Ema muttered, burying one hand in her hair as she stared at the form on her computer. She was at the kitchen table doing a homework assignment that mocked her with anxieties she'd thought she'd let go of.
What career do you want after you graduate from university? What steps do you need to take to get there?
Yes, it was perfectly reasonable, perhaps even expected, for some of her classes at college to ask what career she wanted. That was the point of higher education, wasn't it? To work toward your future dream job? But what if you didn't have one? Did it mean that Ema was wasting her time at university because she still didn't know what she wanted to do with her life?
"Ema?"
Ema jumped at the sound of her name, a hand going to her racing heart. "Ukyo! I didn't hear you come home. Are you ready to get started on dinner?"
"I can take care of dinner by myself if you need to focus on homework," Ukyo said, frowning at Ema's laptop. "Tough assignment?"
Ema was silent. It shouldn't have been a tough assignment. It was a simple question, and not knowing the answer shouldn't stress Ema out since it wasn't like there was a wrong answer to the question. But other people didn't have a family like hers. A family with a lineup of successful and impressive careers and a deep personal desire to belong. Of course, Ema did belong. She knew that. She absolutely knew that. But inside of her was a scared little girl that said she would stop belonging if she couldn't measure up to the high standards of the Asahina family.
"What are you working on?" Ukyo asked, coming to stand behind Ema so he could see.
Embarrassed, she slammed her laptop shut.
Ukyo froze. Then Ema flushed, realizing both that she had been childish and that slamming your computer shut so someone couldn't see what you were doing was extremely suspicious.
She sighed. "I'm sorry, this is just . . . a topic that I get ridiculous about, and I thought that I had dealt with these issues back in high school." She'd had such a good talk with Natsume about her strengths and capabilities, and now she'd been successfully interning at Star City for over a year, which had done wonders for her confidence in herself. There was even talk about them offering her a job once she graduated . . . but she wasn't sure it was what she wanted to do, even if it was a job that seemed good enough for an Asahina.
"What topic is that?" Ukyo asked carefully, still in the same spot.
"Careers," Ema said quietly, staring down at her hands in her lap.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
She looked up and flushed again. "Careers. The assignment is about what career I want after school and what steps I need to take to get there."
Ukyo frowned, finally moving to come sit by Ema. "What is it about careers that stresses you out so much? Do you not want to stay with Star City? I know that interning there has been great for you, but it's fine if you don't want to stay. What would you like to do instead?"
Ema shrugged. "Working at Star City would be a good career."
"There are a lot of good careers," Ukyo countered. "There's no reason to pick one that you don't think you'll enjoy. I thought you were happy there. Did something happen?"
"I am happy there as an intern, but—" Ema cut off as Wataru and Kaname wandered into the living room.
"Let's talk about this after dinner," Ukyo suggested, laying his hand on top of Ema's. "We'll make dinner together and then discuss this in my room, okay?"
Ema nodded, relieved that Ukyo was willing to drop the subject once other people came into the room.
~.~
Ema offered to help wash the dishes after dinner even though it was Yusuke's night to wash them. Anything to prolong having this discussion, but Ukyo continued to linger in the living room. Clearly, he hadn't forgotten, though Ema had hoped he would. Not that she'd held out much hope of that. Ukyo was too meticulous to just forget about things.
With a sigh, she bid Yususke good night before following Ukyo through the hall and down the stairs to his room. He looked around before sitting on his bed and gesturing for Ema to take the seat at his desk.
He waited for her to start the conversation, raising his eyebrows at her when she remained silent.
Ema opened her mouth, closed it as she tried to formulate her thoughts, then opened it again. "I don't know what I want to do with my life after college. I'm not sure what I want to go into or what I want to do. That's not all that uncommon for someone my age, but I . . ." She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "But I don't want to let the family down."
"Let the family down?" Ukyo repeated. "Ema, how could you think you'd let the family down? You've never done that. You're one of the most responsible, reliable members of the family. Why would you think that?"
"Because everyone is so amazing," she said quietly. "Our family looks like the lineup of the most prestigious jobs in the country. All we're missing is a politician."
"You're worried that you'll choose a career that isn't prestigious enough?" Ukyo asked, looking perplexed.
No, I'm worried that I won't fit in if I don't choose a prestigious career.
"Ema, there's no requirement in this family that you have to have a certain kind of job."
Her eyes jumped to his in surprise. He peered at her seriously through his glasses and her heart constricted. If any of her brothers were to tell her that she did need to have a certain type of career, it would be Ukyo. He was the one who disapproved of their brothers who he felt had 'frivolous' careers where they just played around. Hearing Ukyo say those words meant more than they would have from any of their other brothers.
He grabbed her hand and gently pulled her up from the chair before settling her next to him on the bed and turning toward her. "I don't know where you're feeling this pressure from, Ema, but I can't imagine it's coming from any of us. Whatever it is you want to do will be fine with all of us. All we want is for you to be happy."
Ema felt like she could breathe again as a weight lifted from her shoulders. She smiled a little as she shrugged. "But I still don't know what I want to do, even if I'm not aiming for a fancy career."
"Why don't we talk about what you love then? What are your favorite things to do?"
"I love . . . everything connected to our family," Ema said slowly as she thought. "Other than video games, that's what my life revolves around. Cooking for the family. Spending time together as a family. Planning events for us to do as a family." She straightened. "I guess you could say that I like taking care of people." She frowned. "But I don't know if that's what I want to do as a career. I love taking care of my family, I don't know if I'd like taking care of people in general."
Ukyo sat quietly, listening patiently as Ema worked through her thoughts.
Her thoughts now were a tangent, but Ukyo had asked her what she loved. "Family has always been my first priority and the most important thing to me. I know that Mom made the decisions she did because of her love for the family, feeling like she had to make good money so that we could have a good life, but that's not how I want to show my love. I want to show my love by always being there for my family."
Ukyo smiled and tilted his head. "It kind of sounds like what you really want is to be a homemaker as your future career, Ema." He paused and pushed up his glasses. "Though you'll be a wonderful wife and mother no matter what you decide to do. I suppose that something related might be running a daycare or teaching kindergarten?"
Stunned, she blinked up at him. He was right. The thought of being a homemaker had never even crossed her mind because of course an Asahina couldn't choose not to have a career. But Ukyo had just called it a career. And wasn't it something that required continued learning and growing? It was a job that required deep dedication and hard work. And it was what she wanted. Her dearest dream for the future, what she could easily see herself doing, was staying at home and supporting her family that way. Seeing her husband off for work with a homemade lunch. Greeting the kids as they came home from school and helping them with homework. Frequently inviting over her children's uncles and cousins. Hosting parties for the whole family to get together. And working with Ukyo to somehow cook enough food for how massive their whole family might grow to be.
"You're right," she laughed. "I think that is what I want to be, what I want to do. I want to keep everyone close, in my current and future family, and that will be easier if I'm at home running things." She straightened and put her hand over Ukyo's. "But I'll still stay in school," she promised earnestly. "I know that education is important and that I still have a lot to learn."
Ukyo nodded. "I think that's a wise idea to still get your degree. And doing so will help you show your future children the importance of education."
"And there's the fact that I'd have to find a man who would want an old-fashioned woman who won't contribute to the household income," Ema said, feeling self-conscious again. "I need a degree to support myself in case being a stay at home mom doesn't work out."
"I want a woman like that," Ukyo said, then froze.
"I didn't know you wanted a homemaker for a wife," Ema said, her mind flashing to the image of the two of them cooking massive dinners together. If he had a homemaker wife, she would probably cook with Ukyo, not Ema. The thought pained her heart. She felt oddly possessive of cooking with Ukyo. That was her thing, their thing. It hurt to think of Ukyo cooking with someone else, which was ridiculous.
"That's not what I want," Ukyo said, pulling Ema out of her thoughts. She was surprised to see him flushed red and it looked like his hands were shaking. "I mean, that's not just what I want. I—"
Ema was shocked to see him speechless. As a lawyer, clear speaking was part of Ukyo's job. His livelihood depended on it. She'd only seen him get tongue-tied when he was upset, usually because Tsubaki was teasing him.
Ukyo took Ema's hand that had been laying on top of his and looked down at their touching hands before looking at her and swallowing. "I want you."
"Me?" Ema asked, thinking she must have misheard him.
His hand tightened around hers, still trembling, as he said, "I've wanted to be with you for so long."
She gaped. The calm, responsible, logical Ukyo wanted her? Her? What did she have to offer a man like him?
"You never said anything."
"I promised Masaomi I wouldn't," Ukyo admitted before his eyes darkened. "We all promised Masaomi we wouldn't, and then Tsubaki broke that promise, so others decided to as well. Masaomi asked all of the brothers who were interested in you to hold off until after you graduated from high school to make sure you remained comfortable in your own home."
"Thank you," Ema said without thinking. It was the first thing that popped into her mind as her heart warmed. That time had been so difficult and confusing with so many of her brothers confessing their feelings to her and asking something of her that she couldn't give them, but Ukyo had never said anything, had never indicated that he had feelings for her. He'd just stayed by her side supporting her, as he always had.
"Thank you," she repeated with more feeling. "I always felt safe with you. Cooking with you has always been so important to me. If you had confessed during that time, it would have ruined it." She wasn't sure she could have continued cooking with him, and since that was how they spent most of their time together, it might have ruined their entire relationship.
"But not now?" Ukyo asked carefully.
Ema blinked. "Not now what?"
He cleared his throat. "You said that if I had confessed during that time it would have ruined our relationship. But not now?"
"Oh." She hadn't even realized what she'd been implying by saying that, but she'd meant it. She was shocked that Ukyo was confessing to her, but she wasn't upset. Hadn't she just been thinking how painful the thought of him cooking with some other woman was?
Ema blushed and looked down as she intertwined her fingers with his. "Honestly, the first thought that comes to my mind is I can't imagine someone as accomplished as you thinking that way about some college girl who—" She didn't get to finish her thought because Ukyo was kissing her. She made a surprised noise and he pulled back.
"Sorry I—don't talk about yourself that way, Ema. Don't ever talk about yourself that way. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Don't you know how incredible you are? How essential to me you are? I don't ever want to live without you, Ema. I don't want to live one day without you. I was so afraid that you would decide to stay in France, and I wouldn't have blamed with what happened. I told myself that I could be content to just to have you home, just to have you in my life, but if I'm being honest, that's not what I want. Not if a chance of having more with you. If you'll have me."
If she'd have him. As though it were all up to her. Except, Ukyo's hand was still trembling against hers, and he hadn't dated once since Reiko. Had he been waiting for Ema all this time? Hoping that something might happen between them?
"When?" she asked. "When did you fall in love with me?"
"I don't know," he said, slowly resting his forehead against hers, as though waiting for her protest. "I knew that I loved you for sure, that I wanted to be with you for sure after you helped me gain my confidence back in my case against Reiko, but it started before then. Ema, you're exactly what comes to my mind when I think of the perfect woman. How could I possibly dream of ever wanting anyone else? I—"
He cut himself off and stared at her with a vulnerable look she'd never dreamed of seeing on Ukyo's face. And then she realized that he was still waiting. She hadn't said anything about how she felt. His eyes become uncertain, then closed off as he started to pull away. She cupped his cheek with her free hand to stop him.
"Wait! You surprised me. I came in here to talk about careers and then it turned into this. I—when I was talking about keeping the family close, I was thinking of how years from now I would invite everyone over with their family's and you and I would do all the cooking, and then I thought that you might be married to someone who cooks and be cooking with her instead and the thought hurt." She squeezed her eyes shut, realizing she was rambling.
Ukyo chuckled, causing her to open her eyes.
"You have no idea how many times I've gotten angry over the thought of you cooking for another man," he confessed.
"So, we'll stay as we are?" she asked. "We'll keep cooking only with each other?"
Ukyo tilted his head. "Stay as we are?" he repeated, catching her chin and tilting her face toward his. "That wasn't quite what I had in mind." And then he kissed her again.
~.~
Ukyo's breath caught in his throat as he saw Ema getting breakfast ready early in the morning a month later. A month. They'd been dating for a month now. Just the thought made him smile as he came up behind Ema and kissed the back of her neck. She jumped before turning to smile at him.
"Good morning, Ukyo," she greeted as she rose on her toes to kiss his cheek, an adorable blush on her cheeks as she went back to chopping vegetables.
This was Ema's first relationship and she was still getting used to things. Ukyo had to constantly remind himself to go slow, to not overwhelm her. It was difficult though, when he'd been keeping his feelings bottled up for so long and could now finally express them openly. He'd almost said too much the night he confessed to her, thoughts he'd had about what an amazing wife and mother he knew that Ema would be. How much he wanted that from her, how great the two of them would be together.
But they had the time and didn't need to rush. The rest of the Asahinas now knew about their relationship. There had been mixed reactions, but Ukyo didn't care. Ema loved him. After all this time, she reciprocated his feelings. She'd told him for the first time just last night that she loved him. With that thought in his mind, he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her from behind and kiss her neck again. This time, she made an encouraging mewling sound that drove him wild. No, they didn't need to rush, but he so badly wanted to. He pulled her closer and kissed a line down her neck.
"Ukyo!" she half gasped, half chastised, her eyes jumping to the door.
He smiled as he turned her around. "Do you really think any of our brothers would be up this early on a Saturday? Mornings are pretty much the only time we're alone." He leaned down to peck her lips. "That's why we have to take advantage of it."
"But breakfast won't be ready on time," she protested, though didn't remove herself from his arms.
He raised his eyebrows. "Which would you rather have this morning? Me? Or an on-time breakfast?"
Her eyes widened in surprise at the question being phrased that way before her arms came around his neck. "Of course I'll choose you," she said, her words warming his heart as she raised herself up for another kiss.
-I hope you're all staying safe during this crazy time and that this helps brightens someone's day.
