Chapter 26

Fuyumi had barely caught the CEO at his office before he left for the day. His bag was packed and strung over his shoulder. Fuyumi checked the watch on her wrist. It was quarter past 5, earlier than when the Ootori usually left. Her brother used to spend hours beyond the regular 9-5 workday, sitting in this office until midnight on some days according to what his secretary said.

These days, the Ootori got off work at a regular time like the rest of the employees. No more emails that came through past midnight. Only the occasional email that came past 9 PM when it came to the busy period. Fuyumi had been calling him over the past week, even trying him while he was at work. His secretary politely declined her call after checking in with the Ootori, of course.

She looked at her little brother who was far from being considered little over the recent years. He topped the stock markets in their industry. He was making business decisions that business insiders deemed risky or edgy. But here he was, with his hands in his pockets after greeting her nonchalantly.

"Are you getting married soon? Why did you ask for the lawyer who drew my pre-nup?" Fuyumi got straight to the point. The CEO had texted his sister a week ago, inquiring about any lawyers she might had shortlisted for her own marriage many years ago.

"Is Mother aware of this?" Fuyumi threw her hands up in the air. "I mean, I know they've met that woman but, surely they're not aware of your intention to move so quickly, right?"

Mari had been shielded by the Ootori, sitting at the ledge near the window. Kyouya turned to his fiancée, easily reading her expression of piqued curiosity over anger. Her eyebrows were raised. A smirk danced on her lips as she shrugged. Pre-nup? Hm. It wasn't something that surprised her. These sorts of things did not offend people in their class. It was only right to protect your own assets; god forbid such a thing were to happen.

Mari stood up from his shadows. She rose with her dark blazer that framed her silhouette, her high ponytail waved with her head that bowed deeply out of respect to the elder silhouette. The white v-neck camisole was layered beneath the blazer, with the contrast that popped with her collarbones. She wore minimal jewelry, except for the studs on her ears and the ring on her finger. Mari stood with a pair of black pumps that let her reach the tip of the CEO's nose. She certainly dressed the part. High-class. Elegant. Professional.

"We meet again," Mari greeted. She held her hand out politely, her blazer stopping short of her forearm as it flowed down to rest at her hip. Mari's large leather tote hung on her left arm with her hand instinctively against the right side of her ribcage. Her body language was that of a sophisticate, holding her head up high while staying as courteous as possible.

Fuyumi shook the woman's hand out of civility, immediately putting up her walls against the only person who was not an Ootori in the room. Mari could feel it by the brisk handshake as she stepped back in line with Kyouya.

"That woman is named Mari," Kyouya corrected his sister.

"I'm well aware of that, Kyouya," Fuyumi snapped. "We've met." The sister locked eyes with Mari who only responded with a small smile. Mari had no intent of waging a war against the elder sister, no matter what the woman seemed to have against her.

"I tried to stay out of trouble," Mari spoke, doing her best to diffuse the tension. Fuyumi told her to stay out of trouble the last time they had met at Yuki's launch party. "But trouble kept finding me," she glared at the male Ootori.

"The only trouble here is Fuyumi," Kyouya rolled his eyes. "Why did you tell her to stay away from me?" The brother shot an icy look at his sister.

"I told her that you did not need distractions at this age," Fuyumi sighed. It didn't matter what she told the kids anyway, they'd just end up doing whatever they wanted to do. What could she have done? "So now what? You suddenly believe in marriage now, Mari?"

Mari shook her head. "Not really," she admitted bluntly. "I still think it's overrated."

Kyouya quietly chuckled at how Fuyumi was quietly getting riled up. Mari had that sort of talent of pushing the edge. The boundaries of tradition that she never subscribed to, even as a teenager. The sort that used to rile him up too before he took the time to understand why she felt that way. Marriage was a transaction in their world. Mari refused to be in a partnership that was nothing more than a transaction. Thankfully, they felt the same way.

"How are you going to marry this woman?" the older sister asked her brother, obviously exasperated by the woman's cool response.

Mari held up her left hand, proudly showing off the rock on her finger. Her slim fingers made the rock stand out, glistening under the office lighting. She never really got to do that very often. It was rather arrogant, after all. "He figured it out somehow." The fiancée turned to Kyouya who only smirked to himself before looking at his sister as if he had just pulled up the best prank.

Fuyumi narrowed her eyes, confused at the two. "So you are getting married?"

"Yes," Mari answered for Kyouya. "Someday," she added evenly.

He smiled at that response. He wanted to reach over to her to tuck her beneath his chin, but she was a little too tall today. She stood unabashedly as his equal for the first time, fully embracing the fact that she was his partner. He only stared at her in admiration, and then he eyed the way she stood against Fuyumi. Mari never needed him to fight for her when she rose from the shadows herself, rooting herself beside him. She never wavered.

"And you," Fuyumi turned to Kyouya, "You're prepping your pre-nup already?"
"Actually," the Ootori pushed up his glasses. "I was asking for Mari." The Ootori CEO had his own lawyer that differed from Fuyumi's. Even so, Kyouya figured that Fuyumi must have used a top-rated lawyer to begin with. It was only right to refer them to Mari to get her own assets in order.

Mari looked at him, surprised for the first time today. Such matters were already taken care of, especially at the talks of marriage over the past few months. "Oh, there is no need. I already asked Kanda for our family lawyer's number."

"Ah," Kyouya nodded. That was understandable. "Well, it seems like I have no use for you then, Fuyumi." The brother dismissed the other Ootori in the room coolly, expecting Fuyumi to leave immediately. The two Ootoris stared at each other, waiting for one another to make a move. Mari quietly exhaled, understanding the frustration that the elder sister must have felt. The Ootori could really be an asshole sometimes – intentional or not.

"Kyouya, I'm your sister," Fuyumi threw up her hands at how infuriating the boy could be. He was just a boy to her, the little boy who she even remotely considered a brother. Mari held onto the Ootori's arm, giving him a look to settle down. They had given the woman a hard time as is.

"Why don't we catch dinner with Fuyumi," Mari suggested. "She came all this way. That is –" the Takuya turned to the sister and shot her a glance. "If you're free, of course."

Kyouya stared at his fiancée blankly. "We are not free, Mari." He wanted to go home. He wanted to eat that stupid triangular brick of rice that she promised to make a few days ago. Kyouya had plans to swim after dinner. Then he would shower and curl into bed with her to have an early night. Was this so much to ask?

"We are free," Mari argued back. "And you will take your sister out for a wonderful dinner at her choice of restaurant because that is what siblings do." The only person that Mari ate with on the occasion was Yuki when she knew that the girl needed some company. Nonetheless, an actual sibling relationship was difficult to forge in their class – Mari encouraged the Ootori to take her advice with her eyes.

The CEO huffed. "Whatever." He hoped that Fuyumi had plans. Or at least felt annoyed enough to leave the couple alone so she could take up the offer another time.

Mari gave a small smile to Fuyumi. It was her peace offering, not that she ever had anything against Fuyumi. She was an older sister herself. Mari knew what it felt like when she watched Yuki get entangled with whoever she had her eye on. Although she hoped that she had more credibility than the boys that Yuki saw. The female Ootori relented.

"Quintessence," Fuyumi named the restaurant. It had 3 Michelin stars. She hadn't been there lately and her husband was off on a business trip anyway.

Kyouya groaned already knowing that his sister would name that restaurant. Mari smiled politely, dragging the man by the arm to the elevator. It was going to be a long night for the both of them.


Fuyumi sat across from the kids. The trio had gotten a table in a secluded corner while their courses arrived one by one. Kyouya sat back in his chair with a scowl on his face, obviously wishing to have gone home instead of sitting through a 2 hour meal. Even worse was the fact that he had to foot the bill. Not that he couldn't afford it, or that it would make even a dent in his account – but this wasn't the kind of the thing he wanted to be spending his money on, especially when Fuyumi could have afforded this just fine. Hell, the sister could have just come here by herself if she wanted a meal.

"So how did you two meet?" Fuyumi started with an easy question. They spent the past few plates in silence, all of them hungry for at least some sort of sustenance. The small portions did not help with keeping themselves satiated for long.

"You already know how we met," Kyouya snapped, having little patience for small talk. Mari glared at her fiancé. Kyouya did not do well when he was hungry and neither did Mari. The 12 course meal came in small portions that did not fill his stomach fast enough. He wanted food and he wanted it fast.

"We met in our mutual classes in Ouran," Mari answered for them, trying her best to be more patient than the man beside her. They shared all sorts of classes, including homeroom. Mari was reminded of the days where he was the class president. Now he was the president of a company. Some things didn't change.

"Oh, so what took so long?" Fuyumi ignored the outburst from her little brother.
"Hm?" Mari wasn't sure what that meant.
"Why didn't we just get married earlier," Kyouya redefined the question with a grumble.

"Oh," the Takuya understood. "Isn't it obvious? We would be divorced by now."

Fuyumi was taken back at such a blunt response. "How?"

Kyouya chuckled at the answer. Where would one even begin to define what he had with Mari from the very beginning? They were enemies, to acquaintances, to what those called friends with benefits for a while. They lost touch. They threw themselves into the flurry of their careers before deciding to be platonic friends. Then they formed a semblance of a relationship after over a decade of it all. It was messy. It was frowned upon to anyone else who watched them from the very beginning. A relationship that was doomed from the start had they decided to be together from the every beginning. But nonetheless, there was no one else they found but each other.

"It doesn't matter how you look at it," Mari answered. "Either we would have divorced or have never ended up together if any other scenario had happened."

"What do you mean?" the older sister was not comprehending the mysterious clipped responses she gave. Kyouya only smirked at her answers, understanding what she had meant immediately. Like they had spoken their own language.

Mari shrugged. "If I had become a world-class pianist, Kyouya and I would have never crossed paths again. If I had been in an arranged marriage, it would not have been with the Ootori. If we decided to rashly get married after Harvard, we would have been divorced by now because we were not right for one another then, and certainly any time before that."

Fuyumi blinked. These were all viable scenarios. "What happened during Harvard then?"

Mari turned to Kyouya with a small smile. "Tell your sister what happened during Harvard," she nudged, with her ponytail swinging with the slight tilt of her head when she looked at him. She was taken back to their entanglement in his bed, smiling at the thought. Long nights of talking with one another over anything under the sun with takeout food and alcohol. Things seemed simpler back then, but neither of them felt like anything in their lives were simple at the time. Mari was still lost at where she belonged. Figuring out where she stood between the ultra rich and the regular middle class while pursuing higher education, delaying herself from the real-world. Meanwhile, Kyouya was getting ready to take on a multibillion corporation in a blink of an eye. The two were set to go on a path that did not include either of them in the picture, even if they tried.

The CEO cleared his throat and glared at Mari. They were neighbours. They often had takeout and joked about their circles of friends or their classes. Sometimes they talked about healthcare reform, particularly in America, the home of their alma mater. Sometimes they talked about classism. But it was mostly Mari who spoke about classism. Social issues. Interesting tidbits about being a commoner. Then there were Friday nights with her in his bed. How she fell asleep in his arms after talking to him well into the night. Sometimes it wasn't talking at all, with their limbs and their bodies conversing over their fury of emotions that neither of them knew how to vocalize. How he fell in love with her without knowing that he was in love with her the whole time.

"We cemented our friendship during that era," Kyouya was what he decided on.

"You didn't cement anything else?" Fuyumi scoffed at the choice of words. "Geez, when did kids move so slow? Why didn't you two cement your friendship in Ouran if you had met there…" The elder rolled their eyes.

"Slow and steady wins the race," Mari muttered while she dug into what she counted as the 7th course of the night. "And because Kyouya was a real prick in Ouran," she added quietly. They hardly moved slow, she thought to herself. They launched themselves into what could only described as a primal instinct when they were younger. Now here they were, back together doing all the things that everyone expected them to, just a little behind schedule but at twice the pace.

"You weren't such a walk in the park yourself," he shot back.

"I was likable," Mari argued back. It wasn't like she didn't have friends. Even she and Tamaki were on good terms. It was really just the Ootori that she had a problem with. "I at least had sense of humility."

"In what? Your ragged shoes and half-ripped homework?" Kyouya scoffed. "Yes, why don't you look like a peasant to prove that you were oh-so-humble."

"I had more priorities on my plate than to run an illicit business that capitalized on young girls' feelings!" The two grew more heated before the next course arrived at their table. They silenced immediately when the waiter came by to explain their next course.

Fuyumi understood immediately. They must have bickered like this since they had first met. Fuyumi would not have expected his brother to settle for anyone who could not keep him on his toes. Mari was, in many ways, just another rich girl. Perhaps she was one of the few with a doctorate degree, with a job that was not typical of one in their class. She made something of herself, and there was no doubt that the woman was intelligent. It was likely why her brother had liked her so much.

They ate their next course quickly, obviously annoyed at each other. It seemed to be a regular thing between the pair. At some point, the two would forget why they were annoyed with each other over time.

"So how did he propose?" Fuyumi changed the topic swiftly after the waiter had come to gather their empty plates. The staff replenished their plates in the background while Fuyumi waited for an answer.

"He didn't," Mari simply stated.
Fuyumi stared down her little brother. "How could you not?"
"He didn't have to," the fiancée shrugged. "It was… a mutual agreement," she settled.

"Did you pick out that ring?" Fuyumi eyed it over the course of the dinner. The rock glistened under the lighting with its simple design. The thin platinum band sat comfortably on her left hand, as it had over the past few months.

"No," Mari answered truthfully.

Fuyumi glared at Kyouya. "You couldn't have gone bigger with all that money you own?"

Kyouya scoffed. "That ring is nearly 7 grand and it's insured," he added. Mari smiled to herself. Of course the man had insured the ring, why wouldn't he have? The man really did think of everything. Thankfully Mari hadn't lost it, not that she had taken it off very often since she discovered it.

"Well, you could afford something larger with that kind of money," the sister rolled her eyes. That ring would not have made anyone from the upper class happy. It was so minimal. Fuyumi wondered how Mari even agreed to it. Was she just being polite?

"I love it," Mari cut in, in defense of Kyouya. "It's perfect. It fits, it's stunning, and it's… it suits me," Mari had nothing else to describe it. Her finger felt naked without it. "He chose wonderfully."

"Fine," Fuyumi sighed. "So, when is the wedding?"

"We don't plan on having one," Kyouya answered his sister nonchalantly. The next course had come, interrupting the patrons' conversation. The sister gave him a look of skepticism while the waiter explained their dish. How could you not have a wedding? How was she supposed to explain this to their parents now? It was enough that people asked about her little brother and his plans to settle.

"Nonsense," Fuyumi brushed off. "Mari, you must want a wedding. We all dream of that day." The sister turned to the other woman at the table. Surely, Mari would have felt the same.

The scientist shook her head. "No, I can't say I ever have dreamt of it." She was just being honest. Her sister, Yuki, must have been someone who dreamt of her wedding. The only dreams Mari could remember were nightmares from academia. After nearly two decades of being in school, it was difficult to shake off.

Kyouya smiled triumphantly at his sister. His face said it all. I told you so.

Fuyumi blinked. "Why not?" Goodness, Kyouya really knew how to pick them. She defied all kinds of tradition. Somehow, all conveniently aligned with Kyouya's evasion from all the prying questions of the entire world.

"It's expensive," Mari answered, finishing off her plate. Kyouya picked up the pace as well, eating faster so they could finish up the dinner. He made eye contact with the waiter, easily conveying the message of asking to quicken their service. Fuyumi was still flabbergasted by his statement that she didn't even notice her plate being taken away.

"You're rich," Fuyumi scoffed. "Both of you."
"There are better things to spend money on," Kyouya shrugged.

"Like a house," Mari suggested, hoping that his sister would understand the practical choice. Mari wondered if the sister knew that her little brother had purchased a huge lot on the other side of the city. The whole thing was still a giant hole in the ground, but progress was being made however slowly. They still had a couple years before being able to move in. And before then, they needed to furnish the whole place. There was plenty of work to be done. A fun project, he deemed.

The elder sister shook her head. "But how will the rest of our society know that the Ootori is married? There has to be some kind of event. Announcement. Or press release," she listed.

"I'll wear a wedding band," Kyouya solved the problem easily. People could just look at his finger and know immediately. A clear solution to the issue at hand.

"After what? Eloping?" Fuyumi could not accept such an option. Kyouya turned to his fiancée, as if thinking that it was not a bad idea. They had already planned a trip in Bali, which was also a secret to the rest of the world. The fiancée returned a glare that shot down the idea immediately. Their next course arrived in front of them during a brief moment of silence after Fuyumi shrieked at the thought of eloping.

Mari smiled to Fuyumi, the kind of smile she gave to elders back in the day when they asked if she would continue on her studies at Harvard or return back to piano playing where she belonged.

"We'll get married," she reassured. "But there will be no fuss about it. We'll register our marriage when the time is right." That was all they could promise, after all.

"And when will that be?" the future sister-in-law interrogated.

"We'll let you know," Kyouya pushed up his glasses, quickly disregarding Fuyumi's icy glare at his response. "But you can let everyone else know I am very happy with my wife."

"You aren't married yet," Fuyumi shot back. All of this started for the mere sake of trying to get her little brother to wed.

"Well I'm not available," Kyouya pointed out. "Just tell people I'm married." It was an easy solution.

"How are they supposed to believe me if there wasn't even a wedding? Or news? Or anything?" the sister wanted to pull her hair out. People expected some sort of grandiose declaration. It made only made sense to do so. The Suoh spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to declare his love to his wife, to announce to the world that he was happily married forever and always. "How am I supposed to explain who you're married to?"

Mari shied away at that topic. "Actually, if you could keep my identity a secret…" the scientist grimaced when Fuyumi narrowed her eyes at her. It was clear that the elder did not like that request. She could hardly fathom the fact that there would be no wedding.

"Please," Kyouya added. "Not that I am not eager to announce who I'm married to, but for the sake of Mari's career – it is best that we do not disclose it."

Mari looked down at her hands for a second, letting her heart flutter as she let the heat subside from her cheeks. She fidgeted with her ring before looking at him in gratitude, giving him a small smile. He caught the look and nodded to her slightly, understanding her concerns immediately. Mari was more keen on privacy than him.

Fuyumi watched the two glance at each other as if she didn't exist. For two people that were so abrasive with the rest of the world, refusing to conform to all of the norms – she managed to catch a moment where the two of them softly shared a look of understanding and unity. It was enough to make Fuyumi sigh and surrender.

"What do you do, Mari?" As if Fuyumi hadn't known already.

"I'm a scientist for the Ootori Corporation," Mari responded. "I had to represent the R&D division today for a conference hosted by corporate." It explained why she was in the CEO's office – her first time being around such ridiculous extravagance. Mari's office was mere fraction of the size of his office. Without any windows, either.

"And you don't plan on quitting?"

"I… could," Mari stuttered. "To go back to academia… it just depends on whether the opportunity presents itself," the scientist explained. Mari had contemplated going back to academia, but quite frankly she had gotten rather comfortable in the industry. She had only been in it for a little more than a year. Things were good at the Ootori Corporation. The salary was reasonable, benefits were splendid, and her teammates were nothing but supportive and a delight to work with. Plus, it was an added bonus to be able to talk about the ins and outs of work with none other than the CEO.

Kyouya narrowed his eyes at Fuyumi. "Why would she quit a perfectly good job?" That would mean losing her brainpower – a loss for his own company. Talent was hard to come by. How could Fuyumi plant such an idea in his employee's head? Was she asking to get kicked off the board of their company?

"Obviously so we could announce who you're married to," Fuyumi rolled her eyes. "A partnership takes sacrifice, Mari."

The Takuya nodded. "Right," she agreed, despite the thought sitting uncomfortably at the pit of her stomach.
"Are you not prepared to sacrifice things for your relationship?" the elder sister pressed on.

Mari pursed her lips. "I don't think either of us are." Their careers were second to only each other. Neither of them would allow each other to be in the way of their professional goals. Kyouya was happy being the CEO. Mari was content with doing the science. They never got in each other's way of doing what they did best.

"I'm not sacrificing a good employee," the CEO put his foot down. The thought of not having her work under him was ridiculous. "If I'm not sacrificing anything to be with her, neither should she."

"Fine," Fuyumi rolled her eyes. "So what am I supposed to say? You're married to a mystery person that you won't reveal but still expect people to believe?"

"Fuyumi, no one cares," Kyouya stared down his sister. "No one speaks ill of our family because we are respectable as we are. The same goes for the Takuyas. I'm no longer an eligible bachelor. My wife is of the same status as me. We were old classmates. Our families approve of the union. There is nothing else to say."

The older Ootori finally picked at her dessert and huffed. "Alright. You win."

Kyouya pushed his plate over to Mari, obviously not a fan of sweets. Mari smiled at Fuyumi and placed the plate between each other instead, silently offering to share. Unlike Fuyumi, Mari understood what it must have been like to have to accept a stranger into the family – especially when that stranger was with the sibling of whom she spent years of her life attached to, even if their family was dysfunctional at best. Their relationship was the only semblance of normalcy when it came to being a family.

"So," Mari changed the topic. "Because Kyouya has always been an egoistic bastard, he probably never asks this. How are you?"
Fuyumi chuckled while the brother huffed. "I'm fine. Things are going well with the foundation. My husband is currently on a business trip. He will be back tomorrow."

Mari nodded supportively, ushering the larger slice of the dessert over to the Ootori instead of herself. It seemed like Fuyumi had a sweet tooth, the exact opposite of the impatient man who laid his hand on her thigh under the table, grasping her hand as if asking to stop egging on his sister.

"That's good to hear," Mari continued on the conversation. "Am I allowed to ask questions now?"
"I don't see why not," the elder sister welcomed, albeit cautiously.

"What was the rush?" the scientist wondered. "Society has placed men on such a calibre that they are still eligible with growing age. Women, not so much," Mari pointed out. "If it was anyone who should have been worried for future prospects on finding a partner – it would be my own family."
"Your point?" Fuyumi raised an eyebrow.

"Your brother could have chosen anyone from our little pond of women that are of the same calibre as him. But I fail to where the pressure came from – even if he defied his mother's expectations, I thought you would be more understanding of it all. To give him the time that he needed or to at least support his decisions," Mari explained.

"Are you calling me a bad sister?" the elder accused.
"No," the scientist shook her head. "I'm a sister. An elder sister to Yuki, the younger sister of Kanda. I understand siblings. We all have reasons for doing what we do. I'm only trying to understand why," Mari was curious.

Fuyumi sighed, chewing through the last bite of the decadent chocolate cake that was served at the end of their service. "I'm trying."

Kyouya narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What?" What sort of explanation was that? Mari squeezed his hand to shut him up. The man held his tongue and did as told. It was something that women understood, more so than men in any given case.

"I worried for him," Fuyumi admitted. "And I won't have time in the future so… I thought it was best to settle it all while I still could."
"He's a grown man now," Mari half-joked. Fuyumi cracked a smile at her facetiousness. "I think he's in good hands," she promised.

Fuyumi nodded. She had to agree. Mari was nothing but patient to her. She interrogated Mari straight from the start while the scientist held her own ground with grace and poise. Fuyumi understood why his parents thought she was a respectable woman. She was established and someone who knew what she wanted without wavering in her ideals.

"So," Mari sat back. "If it isn't too much of me to ask. Did you succeed?"
"Obviously not," Kyouya rolled his eyes – thinking about all the times Fuyumi tried to have him settle down. Mari shot him a look to tell him to be quiet. It wasn't what she was referring to.

"Indeed," Fuyumi's eyes softened when she watched the couple in front of her. The way Mari could shut him up with just one look made her smile. "I'm only 6 weeks."

Kyouya blinked. Those words were usually used when one referred to a pregnancy. He looked to his sister, who only grinned at him as she waited for him to piece it all together. After all, Kyouya was not an idiot.

"Congratulations," Mari beamed sincerely. She hoped that he would love being an uncle as much as she loved being an aunt. But then again, the man was a robot when it came to dealing with kids. Who knew how the man would manage when he was due to meet his nephew or niece.

The CEO was in disbelief before sighing and accepting the fact. It was supposed to be a happy occasion after all.

"Thank goodness," Kyouya grumbled. Now that Fuyumi's hands would be full, she would be knocking less on his door and she won't be poking her head into his business for much longer. "As long as I'm not babysitting."


Mari found the Ootori looking up the OB/GYN department across all of his hospitals, compiling a list for his sister in an email. She smiled to herself and patted him on the back, asking him to come to bed without a word. They already had a later than usual night and they needed to work the next day.

"Your sister probably has this covered," Mari reminded him, leaning against his desk. She smelled like citrus from the concoction of skincare she put on every night. Kyouya leaned back in his office chair, looking up towards the woman who had her hair down for the first time during the day. It reached her lower back when it was completely straight. She wore a pair of fitted sweatpants, tying up the extra fabric of his t-shirt to hug her waist.

"Still good to have options," he told her with a tired sigh.
"You don't seem excited," Mari noted when the Ootori took off his glasses. He had to admit that he was equally exhausted. He should have gone to bed ages ago.

"Were you excited when you found out Emi was pregnant?"
The woman shrugged. "I mean, I was knees deep in undergrad - I really couldn't have cared less. It changed when I held Taika as a baby though."
"How so?"

Mari sighed, remembering the feeling well when she saw the thousand dollar pram that was purchased for Taika, in addition to the toys that were bought for the child. He was only 13 months old at the time. "I saw all the extravagance around him that I was afraid he would drown in it if I hadn't been around. I was afraid of him growing up with all the riches without being enriched with the things that we needed as a child. But you know, at the end of the day – you and I turned out fine without the love or affection of our parents, and maybe the kids will turn out fine too. But I knew I would've liked someone to have held my hand, at least every once in a while," Mari admitted.

Kyouya sighed. "I don't know how this works."

"You don't know how… pregnancy works?" Mari narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, thank goodness I'm the one on birth control," she muttered.
"Not that," he glared, obviously not appreciating her joke. "How being an uncle works," Kyouya clarified with a grumble.

"Just be there," Mari answered simply. "For whatever they need. And they won't need you much," she added. "Because they grow up fast."
The Ootori shook his head. "Why didn't she just tell me?"
Mari blinked. "That she was trying?"

"Yes." Kyouya exhaled and looked up at the ceiling to stretch his neck and to try to clear his mind. Was it so hard to just tell him that she was worried for him and that she wouldn't have the opportunity to worry like she did now in the future?

"She wasn't obligated to tell you," Mari reminded. "Trying can be… hard," she guessed. Mari never came across the need for trying, not ever. But she sympathized with the thought of it.

"Do you want to try?" Kyouya tilted his head at her, gauging a reaction.
Mari blinked. "I hope you're joking," she deadpanned.
"Someday," he added, almost hopeful.
"Not if you're freaked out to be an uncle," Mari pointed out.
"I'm not freaked out," he repeated. "I'm just not sure what my role is here."

"Well, you're not a dad. Just be the cool uncle. Spoil them with fun," Mari answered simply. "It's an easy job," she reassured. "But you're no fun," Mari remembered with a smirk. "So yeah, maybe it'll take some time to figure out."

He sat up from his seat and pulled himself towards her, trapping her body between his arms on the desk. "I can be fun," Kyouya challenged.

Mari raised an eyebrow. "You won't even eat dinosaur nuggets." Taika had requested them at some point and Mari happily agreed. The leftovers were fed to the Ootori who only snarled in disgust at the crusted chicken pieces. Mari had to cook him a whole new meal. She felt like she was taking care of two children that day.

"Because it was not appetizing," he huffed in frustration.
"You don't have to be the fun uncle," Mari assured him with her arms crossed. "You can still be the cool uncle, somehow."

"What can I be to you?" he asked, cutting out the jokes with Mari with his sincere tone. He leaned closer to her body, his hands finding themselves around her waist. Mari smiled at him, pulling him close to her by the arms. She reached up around his neck, letting him bury his nose in her hair, knowing that he enjoyed doing that – even if he would never admit it.

"My best friend," she answered. "Just be my best friend."
"Alright," he held her tightly.
"And what about me?" she murmured into his shoulder.
"Partner. Wife. Mother to my children," he listed nonchalantly.
"Geez, and all I asked was for you to be my best friend," Mari chuckled.
"And best friend," Kyouya added with a smile.

"You ask for a lot, Ootori-san," Mari pulled away, not making any promises to him.
"I can also be more than just your best friend," he answered back. Mari nodded in agreement, mirroring the smile that danced on his lips.

"Okay," Mari whispered to him, in the same sincere tone he had with her when he asked what he could be to her. Her eyes softened at the man who stood before her, wanting nothing more to just be hers. To be all the things that she needed of him.

"Okay?" He was confused.

"We'll try, someday," Mari promised. "When the time is right."

"I'm ready," he smirked at her, his fingers tracing the waistband of her sweatpants. Mari rolled her eyes and did her best to escape beneath his grasp on her. He tightened his grip and held her in place, shaking his head at her. She glanced up at him, trying to read his eyes before biting her lip. His eyes flashed at the look on her face, her eyes staring him down with something devious at the back of her mind. It took every inch of his body to resist closing the distance between them immediately, pressing his lips across the crook of her neck and then everywhere else he could imagine. She traced her finger down his jaw as he inched forward to meet the skin of her lips. He missed it when she dodged so she could huskily whisper something into his ear.

"It's time for bed, my dear."