Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
...
...
1st year - Somewhere in England
"It's not like we ever wanted that freak!" Vernon said.
"What?" Remus asked quietly his eyes flashing dangerously.
"That girl was nothing but a freak and dangerous brat that caused trouble for us normal people!" Vernon continued stupidly as he didn't notice the way Remus' expression darkened or the magic that cracked around him. "She was nothing but a burden and we were…"
He stopped and paled as he suddenly found himself slammed into the wall so hard that a few pictures fell down and a hand around his neck. His eyes bulged but if it was from pain or surprise that someone managed to physically slam him into a wall that had been several metres behind him was not known.
"VERNON!" Petunia screeched fearfully. "Let him go!"
Remus ignored her as he glared at the large man in front of him barely in control over his anger that seemed to burn inside of him.
"Shut. Up!" Remus snarled back at him and took more satisfaction that he should in the whimper Vernon let out. "I'm so close to losing control right now and if you don't shut up I will stop caring about the consequences of my actions. Got it?"
Vernon mumbled something and Remus pushed once more before letting go and backed away to get some distance and to stop himself from doing something rash. Like cursing him.
Petunia was crying and looked frightened as she ran over to her husband and started to check that he was alright.
"Now…tell me," Remus said with forced calm. "Why did she run away?"
Silence.
"She was ungrateful and a delinquent," Vernon said but his voice shook slightly. "How are we supposed to know what went through that girl's head? She was always in trouble and running along with boys and not caring about anything…"
"I'm warning you, Dursley," Remus growled and the other man stopped talking.
Petunia swallowed nervously and stopped patting Vernon's chest and looked at Remus warily.
"She had a friend she always hung around, I don't remember his name," Petunia said, "and she probably went to him."
Something was wrong with what they were saying, but Remus couldn't prove it and it would take too long to make them talk. Not to mention that he was not sure he could stand listening to them talk about Mac like that without doing something that would stop him from finding Mac.
He reminded himself that finding Mac was the most important thing. He was closer than he had ever been and he wasn't going to throw away the chance. So he focused on her and calmed down somewhat.
"If I find out that you have lied to me I will be back and you will regret it," Remus swore. "It's no use trying to hide. I will find you."
They whimpered and with a last look Remus turned and fled the house before he lost the control he had won back.
...
He hoped that Sirius had a good day. A good day meant that he was able to properly conduct a conversation and get some sense from him. A bad day…that involved firewhiskey and broody silence.
He found his best friend seated in the drawing room watching the fire in the fireplace with a faraway look on his once handsome face. He looked better than he had when he first escaped Azkaban, but the years in that place had left its mark on him.
"Sirius," Remus said making his friend glance up and blink as he focused on Remus.
"You're here," Sirius nodded. "Wondered where you'd gone."
Remus was slightly surprised that Sirius had noticed that he had been gone at all. He had left a couple of days ago to keep watching the Dursley's. Not that it had done any good. Well, he had gotten a clue on where Mac would be and it was time to involve Sirius.
He had not told his friend anything about his search. He didn't want him to get his hopes up for them to be crushed again. Remus was sure that Sirius wouldn't survive a blow like that.
"I'm sorry for worrying you," Remus said mildly.
Seeing Sirius calmed him and his wolf down some and he was able to think more clearly again. Sirius looked at him and Remus thought he saw some of the old Sirius in the grey eyes.
"Does your disappearance have anything to do with what you've been up to lately?" Sirius asked. "Even Dumbledore have noticed you've been preoccupied."
Remus tensed and he knew Sirius noticed.
"Dumbledore noticed?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sirius said, "don't worry, though. I didn't tell him anything…not that I know anything."
...
Remus inhaled and his mind spun. He was wondering if he should tell Dumbledore. This lead was a strong one and he could feel that they were getting closer to Mac. Dumbledore would find this interesting and a small voice in Remus mind was whispering that he should tell the old headmaster.
Then he remembered the Dursley's again and the hateful words Vernon had sneered and the thought of Mac in that home for however many years slammed into him and he immediately knew he wouldn't tell Dumbledore. Dumbledore had placed Mac there and he had failed to keep an eye on her like he had assured Remus he would do. Dumbledore had prevented Remus from being a part of Mac's life and now they had lost her and had not even known that Mac had moved to another country.
Mac wasn't in Britain. She wasn't in England where she was supposed to be. She wasn't even in Europe! He had not even considered the possibility of Mac having moved to another country. Never mind Japan. It was such a foreign thought that he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't heard it from Petunia herself he wasn't sure he would have believed it.
He refused to think that Mac was dead. She had to be alive because any other possibility would be too gruesome and he refused to accept it. She was alive. She had to be.
"Remus?"
He was brought out of his thoughts by Sirius who was watching him curiously.
"I have something to tell you…" Remus said. "I have been looking for Mackenzie."
Perhaps he said it too bluntly because Sirius flinched as he went pale and Remus could see how he seemed to close down before his eyes.
"Sirius," Remus said his voice urgent. "Listen to me."
Remus reached out and grabbed his friends shoulder trying to keep him in the present.
"Remus," Sirius croaked.
"I didn't want you to get your hopes up so I didn't say anything," Remus told him. "I've been looking for months now and…"
Something flickered in Sirius' eyes as he looked at Remus. Hope. Remus realised.
"And…"
"I think I know where she might be," Remus said, "or almost…"
"Almost?" Sirius frowned. "Remus…please, tell me. Where is Mackenzie? Where is my goddaughter?"
Remus told Sirius about what he had learned and watched as Sirius' eyes showed more life than they had in years.
"She ran away?!" Sirius stood up. "Why? What did they do to her to make her run away?!"
"I don't know," Remus said. "I couldn't get it out of them and I…I had to leave before I did something to get me locked up in Azkaban."
Sirius scowled.
"Look," Remus told him, "we can deal with them later. Right now my focus is on finding Mackenzie."
Sirius looked at him for a moment before he inhaled deeply and gave a short nod.
"Are you telling Dumbledore?" Sirius asked.
"No," Remus said shortly and Sirius arched a brow.
"Why? Not that I'm complaining," Sirius said, "but you normally would have told him something like this…"
Remus frowned.
"I'm not…totally sure that I would trust him with this," Remus said slowly. "He never looked in on her, Sirius. Something must have been very wrong for her to run away and…he placed her there and he banned me from going to see her. I trusted him once with her safety. It was a mistake and I'm not making it once more."
Sirius was giving him a look once more and Remus could tell that his old friend was thinking before he smiled losing some of the haunted look that rested over him.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go to Japan!"
"You're coming?" Remus asked.
"Of course!" Sirius said. "I'm not going to be stuck in this house when you're close to finding Mackenzie!"
Remus didn't bother trying to argue, because he knew that he wouldn't succeed. And…it was the first time he had seen Sirius look remotely lively and excited about something in years and he just couldn't bring himself to ruin it.
...
Too Academy
They ended up ordering food to be delivered to the street court instead of going to a restaurant to eat. With Seijuro there it was not a problem getting it arranged or even asking on how he got the restaurant to agree to deliver the food there.
Mac just shook her head and smiled happy that she would get to spend more time with her friends all together like this. It was easier and better for them to be here than to be stuck in a restaurant where they had to, well, be still and behave. Now they could be more…free.
Mac let Nao out of her bag to allow him to run around and stretch his legs in the fresh air, but he kept close to her and eyed the others sceptically. Though, he wasn't as wary of them as others. He did remember them from before so Mac noticed that he just watched them and never really growled at them.
Mac tried to ignore the fact that no one picked up a basketball to play together like they would have done before. She tried to not let it bother her. They were together and talking, that was what she had to focus on.
"Muro-chin told me that he would teach me how to make some sweets," Atsushi told Mac with a longing look in his eyes.
"Really?" Mac asked.
"Yeah," Atsushi nodded. "He is a good cook. He made me sweets once before and it was really tasty. I will ask him to make some for you as well next time."
"That would be great," Mac smiled. "How do you like Yosen, Murasakibara?"
"It's alright," Atsushi shrugged. "Muro-chin is very nice, but I miss you, Mac-chin."
Mac felt a stab of guilt for not doing better with keeping in touch with Atsushi. While they hadn't been the closest back at Teiko she had been the one who had understood him the best and he seemed the most comfortable around. Well, besides Seijuro but it was different.
"I miss you too," Mac told him and patted his arm. "You know, you can call me if you want to talk or need me."
He blinked at her before a wide smile crossed his face making him seem much younger than he was and she suddenly found herself pulled into a hug.
"Thanks, Mac-chin," he said.
Mac smiled and listened to him talk more about the sweets he had discovered while at Yosen and she noticed that Himuro Tatsuya popped up in his stories rather often.
...
"Let me go, Kise-kun," Tetsuya said making Mac look over at them and saw Ryota having attached himself around Tetsuya's neck.
"I just want a hug," Ryota pouted.
"You're heavy," Tetsuya said bluntly and Ryota let go with a pout.
"You're so mean;" Ryota exclaimed dramatically.
Mac shook her head as she saw the familiar interaction between the two and she was glad to see that something never changed.
They had finished the food that Seijuro had delivered and Mac felt comfortably full and content as she sat on the ground despite the dully aching ankle. It felt good to hear the chatter around her and listen to the others talk about their new schools and in general catch up.
"You're childish," Daiki spoke up and Ryota scowled at him.
"I don't want to hear that from you, Aomine-cchi!" Ryota protested.
Mac laughed and leaned against Daiki's side feeling happy and content. Daiki glanced at her and smiled softly but didn't say anything or push her away.
...
Seijuro was watching Mac and Daiki interact together and noticed that they exchanged small smiles from time to time and Mac would seek the other boy out more often now. She was smiling and looked happy.
She hadn't looked like that in a long time, Seijuro knew that very well. He could tell from the tone in her voice as she talked with the others that she felt lighter and she sounded happy.
Seijuro couldn't help but feel worried even as he saw the happiness in Mac's eyes and the way she leaned against Daiki like it was the most natural thing in the world. He knew it wasn't that strange to see them close, even before their…relationship they had been close and could be seen in contact with each other. It just…worried him.
Daiki was not like Kiyoshi. Seijuro still felt annoyed and angry when he thought about the older boy and how he had hurt Mac. He didn't care that Mac said she had been the one to hurt him. It was not of any meaning to Seijuro. All he knew and cared about was that Mac had cried over him. Seijuro shook his head to clear it because that wasn't what he had meant to think about, no, it was that Daiki was different that Kiyoshi.
Daiki had the power to hurt Mac even worse than Kiyoshi had. Seijuro knew just too well just how much Daiki could hurt Mac if he messed this up and…and Seijuro didn't really have much faith in the thought that Daiki wouldn't mess it up. He was prone to lashing out and had a short temper, and what if that got Mac hurt?
Mac would not get over Daiki like she had Kiyoshi. Seijuro knew that. He feared it. It was something he couldn't control and he wanted to just grab Mac and run away and hide her. Unfortunately, he knew that was a crazy idea and not something that was really possible. He could dream, though…
Mac had liked Daiki for a long time. Seijuro knew that. He had seen it before she had become aware of it herself, and he had dreaded the day she realised that she was in love with Daiki. Not because he was jealous and was in love with her or anything like that. No, it was because he saw her as his little sister (even if she was some months older than him) and he wanted to protect her.
She was his. It was as simple as that. She was the one who saw him and never feared him. She was the one who stepped up to him and held out a hand refusing to let him get left behind. The reason he still had his friends in his life and not pushed away like he so easily could have done.
Oh, he knew they were wary of him. He knew that his heterochromatic eyes scared them. He knew he could scare them at times, but…they were here and they didn't act like he was someone they never knew.
He knew Mac was the reason and he had to protect her. He had to.
Mac laughed and poked Daiki in his side making him squirm trying to get away but he smiled down at her.
"Watch it, Kenzie," Daiki squirmed.
"Then don't tease," she said.
Seijuro watched and observed even as he talked to Shintaro about shogi and their last match, it was only too bad that he hadn't brought a board with him now.
...
Mac noticed that Seijuro was watching her and Daiki, but she didn't call him out on it. She had known he would do that and he was probably trying to work out ways to protect her. Was it really bad that she had learned how his mind worked when it was in regards to her?
She shook her head slightly and looked over at Tetsuya. He kept to himself mostly and looked to be in deep thought about something. She immediately felt a spark of worry in her chest as she noticed the faraway look in his light blue eyes.
Pushing away from Daiki who gave her a look but didn't say anything as she got to her feet (grimacing slightly at the pain in her ankle) and hobbled over to where Tetsuya was sitting and sat down next to him.
"Hey, Tetsu," she said.
"Mac," he blinked at her.
"You looked to be far in thoughts," Mac observed.
He shrugged and looked away, toward the school she noticed as she followed his eyes.
"I kind of miss Teiko sometimes," Mac said quietly.
"You do?" Tetsuya asked.
"Well, how it was before we…" she hesitated a little, "you know, drifted apart."
Tetsuya nodded.
"That was a good time," he agreed.
They slipped into silence once more and Mac used the time to observe him more closely. For the first time since their last match at Teiko against Meiko, she saw the shadows lurking in his eyes again. Had he really taken Seirin's loss against Too that hard?
"It's not your fault," Tetsuya suddenly said.
"Eh?" Mac blinked and Tetsuya turned slightly to look at her.
"I see you starting to blame yourself," he said with a knowing look in his eyes. "It's not your fault, Mac."
"Tetsu…" Mac frowned.
"I'm fine," he said.
Mac knew that was not true, but she also knew better than to push it.
"Taiga said you're practising hard," Mac commented but frowned when she saw the way Tetsuya stiffened and avoided to look at her.
"We are," Tetsuya nodded. "It will be great when he's back for full as well…"
"Eh?" Mac frowned.
"Kagami-kun hasn't been at practice since…" Tetsuya admitted.
"He hasn't?" Mac asked surprised. "Why?"
Tetsuya glanced at her, "you didn't know? Oh, I shouldn't…"
"Tetsu," Mac said, "why hasn't he been at practice?"
Tetsuya looked indecisively at her for a moment while Mac waited impatiently for him to say something. She hadn't known that Taiga hadn't gone to practice. Why? His legs were alright by now. Her salve should have made his legs better.
"His legs," Tetsuya finally said.
Mac frowned as she thought about what Tetsuya had said and looked at him. He looked uncomfortable so she stopped herself from asking more of him, she knew she was putting him in a difficult position.
And the way he tensed when Mac had brought up Taiga…what was up with that? Had they had a fight or something? Worry churned inside of her, but she bit her lip and held her questions to herself. At least for now.
...
"Come on," Daiki said and Mac blinked as she noticed that he stood right in front of her looking at her expectantly.
"What?" she asked.
He sighed like she had missed something and suddenly he bent down and lifted her up into his arms in a bridal style making her squeak in surprise.
"What? Daiki! Put me down!" Mac exclaimed squirming but he was strong and held her up.
"Stop doing that," he told her gruffly. "It's time to go home."
"Okay, but I can walk," Mac said.
"You shouldn't walk on that ankle," Daiki declared. "So…"
"You're not carrying me!" Mac protested feeling her face getting hot at the how close she was to him, she could feel the muscles in his arms and chest, feel how warm he was and his scent lingered over her making her swallow and her heart speed up.
"I am," he said not seemingly caring that she swatted his shoulder.
Mac frowned at him despite her blushing face and blinked when she realised that they weren't alone hearing the chuckling from Ryota. She looked to see them watching her and Daiki with various expressions on their faces.
Ryota looked amused (hence the chuckling) but he did look a little thoughtful as well.
Shintaro tried to look indifferent but Mac could tell he was holding his lucky item a little harder than normal and a pensive look lurked underneath the stoic expression.
Atsushi looked bored but again a warning look lingered underneath as he pushed some sweets into his mouth.
Tetsuya looked mildly interested but mostly just smiled at her when he noticed her watching him.
It was Seijuro's expression Mac was the most interested in. He looked worried yet contemplative, but there was also a note of something harder in his eyes as he looked at them.
In the end, Seijuro had his driver drive her back and Daiki carried her up to her apartment and helped to get the salve she had given Taiga on her ankle before leaving her alone. Taiga was not home and Mac was a little curious about where he could be.
...
Mac yawned as she entered the classroom. She had just spent hours studying for her OWLs and Professor Sato had pushed her harder than he had ever before with the practical spells and charms along with heavy theoretical work. She was not really up for another long day with classes' even if this time it was muggle ones. Not to mention the basketball practice after school where they had to start preparing for Inter-High.
She ignored the class like she always did these days and sat down at her desk and rested her head on her arms leaned over the desk.
"Kenzie," Daiki's voice sounded and she blinked spotting him sitting crunched down next to her desk and watched her with a worried look. When had he gotten there?
"Daiki," she smiled sleepily. "You're here."
"Well, yeah," Daiki nodded and smiled her smile watching her. "I even made it on time."
"Do you want me to say 'good boy'?" Mac teased with a small smirk and sat up straight.
Daiki huffed and mock-pouted at her.
"Haha, that doesn't really help your case," Mac told him amusedly.
"Whatever," Daiki said but he smiled again and reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Hey," Mac laughed and waved his hand off her. "You love messing up my hair! It doesn't need any help to get messier."
"It's adorable," Daiki shrugged.
Mac fought a blush and looked down suddenly loss for words before looking up and getting lost in his deep blue eyes.
Neither was aware that they had the class' attention. Especially Fujimoto was glaring at them with anger in her eyes and her hands clenched together in anger and didn't partake in the whispering conversations around the room.
"I wonder if they're together now…"
"They look even closer now…"
"Do you think they're dating?"
"How cute…"
The teacher entering the classroom stopped the whispers and brought Mac and Daiki out of their bubble as the teacher called for their attention.
...
Mac barely could keep her eyes open when lunch came and yawned as she followed Daiki to the roof. She was slightly surprised when she saw Sakurai and Namamura as well already there, but she could tell it wasn't planned.
"Oh, you're here," Namamura smiled. "You look tired, Mac."
Mac mumbled something as she leaned on Daiki's shoulder.
"Didn't catch that," Namamura said cheerfully.
"I said I do not," Mac said a little more clearly and together with Daiki went to sit down next to their two teammates even if Daiki looked a little grumpy at finding the roof already occupied.
"Sorry for being in your space!" Sakurai apologized quickly when he saw Daiki's grumpy look.
"Why are you apologizing," Mac sighed with a yawn. "It's alright."
Daiki glanced at her and Mac could tell he was concerned but Mac just smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder as she accepted the food he had brought.
"Thanks," she smiled at him and he smiled back.
Sakurai and Namamura watched with slightly wide eyes but when Mac looked at them they schooled their expressions and just smiled at them.
"I didn't know you would be here," Daiki muttered.
"Oh, stop it, Daiki," Mac sighed fondly patting his cheek. "Don't be rude."
He huffed but didn't say anything else.
"What do you have planned for practice today, Mac?" Namamura asked.
Mac yawned, "keeping awake."
They laughed but Mac soon got serious again.
"No, we have to prepare for Inter-High. It's not long until the first match," Mac said.
...
"The Inter-High is coming quickly and we have to get ready," Harasawa said looking around at them and letting his eyes linger on Mac before he looked at the others. "You all did a good job during the final league but I do not want to see any of you slacking off thinking that you are good enough as it is. Basketball is an unpredictable sport and if we are going to have a chance at winning we all need to be focused and work hard."
Mac nodded in agreement as the coach spoke more about the preparations for Inter-High and what to expect. She felt a little more awake even if she still felt tired and longed for a chance to take a nap (she kind of envied Daiki right now who she saw napping on the stage – though she felt kind of annoyed at him too).
Mac joined the others warming up by running around the gym like normal and smiled slightly at Susa who arched a brow at her when she yawned.
"Sorry," she muttered. "Just tired."
He nodded, "let us know if it gets too much."
"I'm alright," she told him.
"Well," he shrugged, "you're known for pushing it too far."
She huffed and he smiled at her amused.
"Whatever," Mac said and focused on running again.
After they had finished their laps they gathered in the gym once more and Mac had them playing one on one while she observed and took notes of their progress and where they needed to keep working.
"You know," Daiki said as he sat down next to her seemingly awake now. "You put way too much work into this."
"I do not," Mac protested without taking her eyes off Wakamatsu and Imayoshi who were playing at the moment.
"You already know all this," Daiki said.
"They have all developed during the Final League and I need to get the notes and analysis down to make better training menus for them all," Mac told him and glanced at him.
"I know," he sighed, "I just wished you would stop to take better care of yourself, Mac."
"I do," Mac shrugged. "No, be quiet."
Daiki fell silent once more and Mac focused on the one on one going on. She noticed that while Wakamatsu was stronger physically he was more likely to let his hothead lead him to use too much of his energy in anger and rushed action, while Imayoshi was patient and tricky.
Imayoshi won the one on one with a comfortable gap in their score.
"Argh!" Wakamatsu yelled.
"You're too weak," Daiki yawned. "You let Imayoshi get inside your head."
"You shut up!" Wakamatsu growled stepping closer to where Daiki was sitting. "You're just sitting there lazy and useless…"
Daiki glared and moved to get up but Mac put a hand on his arm to stop him.
"Enough," she said quietly.
Both boys stopped and just glared at each other as Mac got to her feet and looked at Wakamatsu and then at Imayoshi who stood slightly behind the larger boy looking amused. Like he always did when someone was about to argue. Mac really wished he would stop doing that.
"Daiki shouldn't have said it like that, but…" Mac gave Wakamatsu a contemplative look before continuing. "You are strong, Wakamatsu. There is no denying that you are a great basketball player and have the physical aspects of the game under control and it's your great strength. But… you do let others wind you up too easily. Imayoshi deliberately pushed on your buttons and you lost focus and made mistakes because you let your anger influence your game."
Wakamatsu frowned but he gave a short nod to show he had understood what she had said. She looked back at her notebook and then back at the waiting team.
"Susa and Sakurai, please," she called and sat back down and tapped her pen against her notebook as the two took their place on the court. Sakurai looking almost scared while Susa looked collected and smiled slightly.
...
Eventually Harasawa called the end of practice and Mac had never been so happy about the end of a practice before. They had finished with a practice match and she felt so tired and just wanted to sleep but knew she had homework both for her magical lessons and regular school.
"Come on, Kenzie," Daiki said when he spotted her having changed and exiting the locker room. He had been leaning against the wall waiting for her.
"Daiki," Mac smiled again and it widened when he grabbed her hand and started to walk.
They walked in silence neither feeling the need to talk right then and just enjoyed walking together like this.
...
Ayano stepped into the house to find a very odd sight in front of her. She had her grocery bags in her hands but she shifted them so she could pause and look at her two youngest children standing in the doorway leading into the living room.
What was odd was the fact that Sayuri was giggling and looking thoroughly amused her eyes sparkling happily, while Shiro….well Shiro had his arms crossed over his chest and his face so serious and eyes glaring into the living room looking completely opposite his twin sister.
"So cute…" Sayuri giggled.
"It's not!" Shiro denied.
Ayano arched a brow in curiosity and closed the door behind her getting their attention.
"Hey mum!" Sayuri smiled between a new wave of giggles.
"What is funny?" Ayano asked.
"Nothing is funny," Shiro glowered. "Daiki-nii is stupid."
"Shiro," Ayano said in a warning but Shiro just huffed and looked away. "That's not a nice thing to call your brother."
"Shiro is jealous," Sayuri said wisely and Ayano arched a brow.
"Why?" she asked.
"Why don't you look?" Sayuri asked.
Ayano stepped forward and looked into the living room curiously. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to find but it wasn't the scene she saw looking in. She blinked.
Daiki was laying on his back on the couch with his eyes closed, he was clearly sleeping, but that wasn't that unusual, but it was the fact that Mac was curled up partly beside him and partly on his chest that had Ayano blink. Daiki's right arm was curled around Mac's waist in a protective manner like he was trying to keep her as close as possible. There were books lying opened around them and Ayano guessed that they had been working on their homework before they fell asleep.
Ayano couldn't help but smile because it made a really adorable picture she almost wished she had her camera close by. She had noticed that Daiki was in a better mood lately and she had a feeling that it was because of Mac. They were obviously close once more and Ayano wondered if they might have admitted to their feelings for each other now. She hoped they had.
"Tell him to stop it," Shiro said breaking Ayano out of her thoughts.
"Stop what?" Ayano asked her youngest son.
Shiro glowered.
"That!" Shiro pointed giving her a look that clearly said he thought she was being stupid. "He's hugging her too close."
"They have done that before," Sayuri said.
Shiro just scowled deeper.
Ayano chuckled.
"Come on," she told her twins. "Let them rest."
She guided them away and Shiro grumbled as he followed his sister upstairs and to his room.
...
Daiki blinked groggily feeling a weight on his chest and felt someone shuffle closer to him and he opened his eyes and looked down to see Mac resting her head on his chest and was curled up so close to him that he could feel her warmth and curves against him.
He swallowed before he looked up and saw a pair of glaring blue eyes and he blinked again sleepily. Mac shifted a little in her sleep and her hand gripped his shirt slightly.
"Shiro," Daiki said quietly.
His little brother just glared at him though, with his arms folded over his chest. Daiki frowned slightly concerned but he was distracted by his little sister entering the living room.
"Shiro! Mum told you to leave them alone!" She hissed before she noticed that Daiki was awake. "Look! See what you've done! You woke him up!"
Shiro didn't say anything as he continued to glare at Daiki ignoring his sister.
"Kids," Ayano entered and Daiki wondered if the whole family would be there soon. Only his father was missing from the room now. "Oh, Daiki, you're awake."
"Yeah," Daiki said quietly, "and please, be quiet!"
"Why?" Sayuri smiled teasingly and Daiki wondered if his sister had always been prone to teasing or if that was something new.
"I don't want to wake Kenzie," Daiki said.
"I'm awake," Mac mumbled and opened her eyes and blinked as she realised that they weren't alone anymore. In her sleepy state, she hadn't really picked up on the words just that there had been voices around her.
She pushed herself off Daiki and sat up feeling her cheeks heat up slightly. Though, she wondered why because it wasn't like the first time she had fallen asleep on Daiki… this time, though, this time was different.
"Hey," she yawned and hid her mouth behind her hand even as she fought the blush. "Sorry."
"That's quite alright," Ayano smiled warmly and looked between her and Daiki with a pensive look.
"You looked cute," Sayuri giggled. "Are you finally together now?"
Mac could just give up fighting her blush as it returned at the blunt question from Daiki's little sister. She could feel Daiki shift slightly beside her as he reached out and took her hand. Mac glanced at him and smiled softly at him.
"Yes," Daiki said.
Mac nervously looked at Ayano and the twins. She really wanted them to approve and while she logically knew it was stupid she felt really anxious about their reactions. She was relieved when she saw the happy smiles on both Ayano and Sayuri's faces. Sayuri was giggling again.
"I'm happy for you;" Ayano smiled. "Dinner is ready soon…"
Mac smiled but it froze when she looked at Shiro who was not smiling and was scowling instead. He avoided her eyes as he glared at Daiki.
"Shiro?" Mac asked.
Just as Shiro ran out of the room Takehiro entered and looked curiously and concernedly after his youngest son who didn't even pause to say hello.
"Um, what have I missed?" he asked looking around the room.
...
Mac hesitated outside Shiro's room before she knocked gently on the door. There was no response but she pushed it open anyway because she was not going to let Shiro pull away from her that easily. She saw him lying on his stomach on his bed with his head burrowed in the pillow.
"Shiro?" Mac called and closed the door behind her as she walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge of it by his feet. She waited for a moment but he didn't respond. "What's wrong?"
He didn't say anything and she swallowed trying to figure out why he was upset.
"Are you upset with me?" she asked. "Do…do you now want me to be with Daiki?"
She hoped he wasn't against it. He was important to her and she really hoped that he would not hate her now because she was with Daiki.
"I hope you don't mind, Shiro. I really want you to be okay with it…"
"He'll take you away from me," Shiro mumbled into the pillow and Mac could barely make out the words. She reached out and patted his back comfortingly.
"No one is taking me away from you, Shiro," Mac told the younger boy.
"Yes, he will," Shiro said. "He will take all your time and you won't have time for me anymore! I want to play football with you and now Daiki-nii will have you all to himself…and if you break up then you will stop coming and I will not see you and…and you will be hurt and then I can't help you…and he will be the reason why and…and…and…I don't want you to leave!"
Mac tried to make sense of his rambling and managed to get the sense of it. He was worried she would leave him.
"Hey," she said softly. "You're my little brother, Shiro. You'll never lose me. You and I are not depending on Daiki and me. I promise you."
Shiro looked at her like he was trying to see if she was lying or not. Mac just smiled and waited for him to say something. He got up into a sitting position and gave her a serious look.
"Promise?" he held out his pinkie finger even though he had recently said he was too big for pinkie finger promises. Mac linked her pinkie finger together with his and sealed it.
"Promise," she said.
He then threw himself at her and she hugged him close letting him calm down.
...
"Why are you glaring at me again, Shiro?" Daiki sighed when they had finished the dinner and he had gotten tired of his 9-year-old brother glaring at him throughout the meal. He had thought that Shiro was over whatever had him upset when he came back with Mac chatting excitedly about his football training.
"I'm watching you," Shiro said so seriously that the others looked at him. Shiro had crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at his big brother.
"I can see that," Daiki muttered before he sighed. "And why are you watching me?"
Mac smiled amused next to him and Daiki frowned at her before looking back at Shiro.
"If you hurt Mac-nee I will not be nice to you," Shiro warned. "Mac-nee is too important and she's mine."
Daiki stared at Shiro and felt like he should have known he would be warned by him as well. He could hear his parents laugh quietly as well as Sayuri. Daiki stared a moment at Shiro before turning to Mac (who looked entirely too amused for Daiki's taste) and pouted.
"Why does everyone warn me?" he asked.
"There, there," Mac patted his shoulder. "I have no idea."
"You're way too amused," Daiki sighed.
...
...
AN: Thank you for reading!
Sirius and Remus are getting closer still. There will be a few chapters before they show up, though.