The teenager and the grey-haired boy bring her to a stop directly in front of what looks like a large, well-maintained apartment complex. It has shining glass windows and the white paint is a cheery beacon on the otherwise restrained and cloudy street.
"Here it is," The teenager gestures to the complex. "This place was actually remodeled inside to be one big house. I have a lot of brothers."
His lips quirk up and he emphasizes the word "lot" like it's some kind of inside joke. Ema is very familiar with inside jokes, but every time she's asked any of her peers to share the joke, they always looked away from her and began snickering, so she just stays quiet and nods.
The teenager opens the door for her and Ema sees what looks like a portal to a different world. The inside of the house is warm and light is radiating from inside. She can smell a hot meal cooking, and hears her stomach give a small growl. Ema looks behind her to avoid the teenager's eyes, and lands on the grey-haired boy, instead.
His face heats up when he catches her stare and he pushes past her lightly to head inside. Ema gives one last glance to the threatening sky and follows.
.
.
.
What happens next is a whirlwind of motion.
He really does have a lot of brothers, Ema thinks in surprise, looking over the room's photo frames out of the corner of her eye.
She is standing timidly in the doorway of a room where several chairs covered by a dinosaur bedspread and a small desk have been pushed into the middle to create the entrance to a fort. The floor is cluttered with children's toys and coloring books like the ones the other children from school sometimes bring from home.
Ema looks past the slightly disheveled looking man with blond hair and glasses as he carefully pushes several frames away with his foot. Ema had noticed how multitudes of family photos had littered the walls and now, it looks like they all spill into the house's bedrooms as well.
I need daddy to send me photos of himself. I only have a few of him when I was smaller, She thinks casually.
Hmm.. Oh! Daddy! Oh no! He's waiting for me to call him!
Ema's eyes widen and her heart skips a beat.
Just as she's about to ask to use their phone, the man ("Call me Ukyo-san, I have too many brothers to be Asahina-san," He had said with a jovial, if tired smile on his face.) turns toward her triumphantly. He has a green sweatshirt in his hand with a dinosaur tail sewn onto it. It's clearly handmade and seems to be a beloved and well-worn article of clothing.
In his other hand, Ukyo also has a folded pair of comfortable looking pants. Ema begins to protest.
"I'm so sorry, Ukyo-san, but I can't wear that! It doesn't belong to me and I don't want anyone to get angry because I'm wearing it," Ema asserts "I'll be okay in my uniform!"
Ukyo cocks one eyebrow and looks at her in concern. Ema is getting worried with how often she's seen that expression pointed toward her in the past few days.
He looks at the clothes in his hand and nods.
"Alright, Ema-chan. But since I can't in good conscience let you stay in your wet clothes, how about I bring you a fluffy bathrobe to change into instead?" Ukyo smiles convincingly and Ema knows he knows she can't resist the offer.
.
.
.
Following the outfit change, Ema opens the door to an empty hallway. The house is surprisingly quiet save for the sound of rain pounding outside. Ema directs herself to the quiet living room. Natsume-san, the teenager who had lead her here, and Subaru-san, the quiet boy with the grey hair, are nowhere to be found.
Ema hears movement and enters the kitchen, where she is greeted by Ukyo in a tight, flour-covered apron. He is chopping up vegetables at an incredible speed and seems very concentrated on his work. Ema carefully tiptoes up to the counter in awe. Her mouth barely peeks over the counter-top when she stands on her tiptoes.
"Hey, Ema-chan. Sorry dinner isn't ready yet. This dish takes a long time to make, but I don't want you to go hungry while you wait. Would you like some?" Ukyo gestures at the cut up vegetables and Ema looks at him, wide-eyed.
"I'm so sorry, Ukyo-san! I wasn't planning on staying for dinner! Um, I'll leave right now because I don't wanna impose!" Ema stutters out, all curiosity about his cutting technique forgotten.
Ukyo frowns and crosses his arms.
"You aren't imposing, Ema-chan. Really, we want you here,"
Ema frowns and continues to look unsure. Ukyo smiles in amusement at the sight of her furrowed brows. She looks adorably concentrated and he barely restraints the desire to pet her hair.
Her hair looks very messy. Did she cut it herself?, He thinks idly. Maybe I'll have Louise fix it for her. He knows all about cutting his own hair.
Ukyo smiles in amusement at the memory of the haircuts Louise had always given himself as a child, but Ema's sure voice breaks him out of his reverie.
"If I'm staying, please let me help you cook! I'm not as good as you are, but it's the least I can do!" Ema declares assuredly.
Ukyo senses the resolve in her voice.
"Sure, but be very careful, okay? And one more thing!"
Ukyo runs out of the kitchen and returns with several pins. He kneels down next to Ema and carefully cuffs the bathrobe's sleeves twice, then pins them in place. Ema blinks at him in astonishment, ans this time, Ukyo can't help but ruffle her hair.
"Alright, first step," Ukyo begins his lecture and watches Ema nod along seriously. His worry about letting her work in the kitchen eases, and the two are soon rhythmically washing, cutting, and sorting all of the vegetables.
Ukyo hums a happy tune as Ema sits beside him on the counter top and sorts. Ema soon starts bobbing her head and humming along, and the two grow busy laughing and cooking. Ema, wrapped up in the company, forgets about the phone call from Rintarou.
author's note: I don't really like how I ended this, but i just really wanted to get this chapter out. Thanks for all of the reviews/favorites/follows, they fuel me! Also, can you tell I have a preference for the older Asahina boys? I can't help it. I just can't resist them.