Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Your loyal support is what keeps this story going. :) Shoutout to ashleygrusz for the valuable opinions, and IcarusIscariot for volunteering to be the beta for my mess of an outline ^^; As usual, I don't own BroCon.

We need to talk.

While Ema's only experiences in romance were those with her brothers and a fleeting moment with Kaito, she knew that "we need to talk" was never a good thing. It wasn't a good thing when her father said it after she accidentally shattered a vase as a child. It wasn't a good thing when Tsubaki said it before stealing her first kiss. And it wasn't a good thing when Kaito said it to her now, only two days after their tryst in Ema's bedroom. Her heart beat erratically, her breath hitching in worry.

Before she could open her mouth to respond, he carelessly hauled Ema out of her chair and led her to one of the balconies within Katsu's home before dropping her hand. She waited for him to lean against the wall or the railing, or to run his fingers through his hair, or to pout teasingly. But he never did; instead, he looked from his shoes to her, and she realized he'd never seemed so dismayed before.

"K-Kaito!"

"Ema," he replied shortly, expression overcast. No "Em," no "Emmy." Just Ema.

Never having been treated so distantly by the boy, she reached for his hand with both of hers, desperate to feel his fingers locked around her own again, never to detach himself from her. But his hand hung limp between hers, deathly contrast to the warmth he so often radiated.

Her heart shattered in two when he gently removed himself from her and turned to grip the rail of the balcony.

"Kaito, I— you... did I—" she stammered in distress, clutching her shaking hands to her chest as her eyes slowly began to sting.

White was spreading in Kaito's knuckles now, his bones shifting as he squeezed the railing harder. He shook his head, and Ema painstakingly treaded to his side.

To her horror, the dimples she so loved made their appearance in an acrid scowl. His hair hung loosely over his eyes, shading them a swatch of russet-tinted blood, and his brows furrowed tightly. And he looked up to gaze at her, and she could feel her heart breaking into smaller pieces when she found there not anger, but hurt: blinding, vulnerable hurt.

Without thought, Ema cupped his face between her palms, running her fingers along his jawline and her thumb beneath his cheekbone. This time, he didn't pull away. But his gaze fell again, drained of energy as he clasped his hand over hers and leaned into her touch.

"I'm tired," he said simply.

"A-ano... maybe you should get some rest..." Ema responded, mystifed. He forced a smile toward her.

"You might be right," he murmured disjointedly. "Some rest."

"...Kaito." She beckoned again, tone solid as her resolve to help the boy she loved. "I want to help. You're not tired."

"But I am," he argued, eyes lighting again, and Ema wondered fleetingly if this was what it was like to be one of her brothers on the receiving end of Kaito's dissecting stares. "I'm just... really tired."

The girl frowned at the boy, leaning closer to him. "You've been tired. I've seen you climb up the side of my house and hang out of my window. You were tired then, but you never acted the way you are now. Kaito, please... please, talk to me. I want to help."

Then the intense ache in his gaze was back, commingling with slight anger. Whether at her or himself, Ema couldn't tell, but it was an expression she knew she never wanted to see on him again.

"I clearly don't understand how to read you, Ema," Kaito said, his voice filled with clear hurt and turmoil. "One second I think that you're your own person, but then the next, it's like I'm asking your brothers for permission to even look at you."

Ema's lips parted. Asking her brothers...? "Wait. I don't understand."

"Do you really not?" Kaito asked as he seemed to be deflating second by second.

"No; what do my brothers have to do with this?"

Kaito clenched his teeth. "Before I answer that question, tell me this: what's more important? Your own happiness, or your brothers'?"

"Ano... my brothers', I suppose. But I don't understand! Why are you asking me?"

As if disappointed, Kaito slumped forward to place his head in his hands. "Em..."

Relieved at the syllable of her nickname, she wrapped a slender hand around her bicep with pleading eyes. Then Kaito continued, "I don't know. I'm just really confused, is all."

"Confused?"

Kaito studied her, and Ema realized some of the distance in the way he looked at her had disappeared, replaced by a rueful exhaustion. Kaito, she realized, he really is tired. He tousled his hair with one hand and leaned back against the balcony railing as the sunset colored his hair a rusty shade of brown.

"Confused, because I liked it when you kissed me," Kaito admitted. "I thought it meant something."

"It did!" Ema defended.

"I know. It did to you, and it definitely did to me. And the reason it meant so much is because I thought it meant you were finally choosing yourself. No, I know it doesn't make sense, but... Ema, it's okay for you to think about what you want. What makes you happy. Not your brothers."

The girl's lips parted, stunned into silence, as she digested the bomb Kaito dropped onto her. Yes, of course she'd thought of that, but to hear the notion voiced out loud...?

"Why are you saying this to me now?"

"You have to have understood," Kaito said, "that the brothers don't want you sleeping over tonight because they're jealous. It's your grades we're talking about here, and they wouldn't let you stay, even though Ki and Rei are staying over, too. Doesn't that bother you, even just a little bit?"

In actuality, it did; Ema had dearly been looking forward to staying with Kiyomi and Rei in one of the Oshiro estate guest rooms, but the family matter was urgent, of course... at least, according to Yusuke... but Ema shook the thought away, frowning at Kaito.

"It doesn't matter if it bothers me. It's a family issue."

"Is it? Is it really? Because Yusuke said that all they need to talk to is what you've been up to lately. That could have waited till you got home tomorrow."

"Kaito!"

"What?" Kaito straightened, eyes blazing. "What could you possibly say to defend them?"

"They're my family."

"You think of them that way. But you're the one who told me that they don't think of you the same way. Aren't you the one hurting because they're fighting over you? Aren't you the one who feels guilty when they can't resolve their conflicts? Aren't you the one disappointed because the family you wanted can't see you as anything but a prize to romance?"

He clutched her shoulders, looking ready to shake sense into her. Her lip trembled as she replied, "It's not their fault... they can't control how they feel..."

"And neither can you," Kaito responded. "But you can control the way you react. You can tell them to stop. I know it's not in your nature, Ema, but I also know that you're your own person and you have the strength in you to tell them no, once and for all, no."

Ema shook her head as if trying to convince herself otherwise. "It doesn't work that way. If I do that, I'll hurt them."

"Sometimes," Kaito said gently, "It's more merciful to cause a moment of blinding pain than to let somebody suffer in wait."

The pair stared at each other. Ema's eyes pooled with tears, and she ducked her head to wipe them away with her sleeve while Kaito looked on. She whispered, "Why do you want so badly for me to cut off their feelings for me? You don't have to worry about what they feel for me, because I don't feel the same way... you don't... I'm yours..."

Kaito, shocked at her declaration, froze, his grip on her shoulders tightening. His eyes softened. "I know you're mine, Em. Just like I'm yours. It's just, well, I don't know how to explain it. I guess that it's just I don't really know if we can be together when your brothers just keep on doing this to you. They keep hurting you, scaring you. The only thing I can promise to do right now is be there for you, but I'm not going to add complications."

Ema, wounded, loosed a shaky breath. "I thought you said you'd give me time to work things out."

"And have you?"

She remained silent, her gaze dropping from his eyes to his lips to his chest. Slowly, she placed her hand over his heart, then let it slide around to clasp the back of his shirt. She brought up her other arm and laid it over the other one, then rested her ear over his heart, her tears darkening the cotton of his shirt.

"You're right," she whispered. "I haven't. I won't until I have the courage to speak for myself. And... right now, I'm not the kind of girl you need. You need someone strong. Courageous. Because that's the kind of girl you deserve. Maybe... maybe this should stop."

Kaito shook his head vehemently. "No. I'm not giving up on you, Ema." He drew away and bent down to her eye level. "So don't give up on yourself. I'm not asking you to change, because you're right; the kind of girl I need is someone courageous. And the reason... the reason why I love you is because I know you have that courage in you. You're honest. You know what you want when it comes to your own feelings. So make them hear you."

Ema gasped. She'd never heard Kaito voice his love out loud. Hearing it held a different weight than she imagined it would, a pleasant lightness that danced on her heart and shivered warmth along her bones. She bit her lip and watched as his gaze fluttered minutely down her face, and pondered how different the scene was from only a few nights before. But this time, she knew exactly what she wanted.

"I'll make them hear me," she repeated.

"You'll make them hear you," he promised.

"I can. I know I can. And this... taking what I want... this is my first step."

She stood on the tips of her toes and locked her lips firmly with his, tangling her fingers in his hair and arching herself into the curve of his body. Her heart pounded against his, and she threw herself deeper into his lips with all the resolution and fearlessness and love she had never been able to voice. Her body went warm and pink stained her face as her lashes fluttered against his cheek. Just for those few moments, she knew exactly what she wanted. None of the curiosity of their first kiss. None of the innocence.

Kaito ardently returned the pressure she gave, entwining his arms around her waist and nipping at her lips. His mouth slanted over hers as he consumed her with eager ardor. He ran his knuckles up her spine, down her neck, along her sides, till they rested on her hips. He hummed into her, hummed her name, and felt her melt into the sound. He moved one hand to grip her wrist and ran his thumb along the skin beneath her palms.

Then the sliding glass door scraped against the ground, and startled, the pair separated from the kiss with wide eyes. And suddenly, horror flooded Ema's heart.

Because framed by the threshold, eyes flickering with heartbreak, stood Yusuke.

Quick updates for the win! Or at least relatively quick. But I'd assume it's better than a month-long wait, yeah?

Hopefully you guys are still enjoying the story alright. I love reading through your reviews and seeing what you think; it definitely makes my day! On another note, you guys, I'm totally obsessed with A dish best served cold by janayascarlet1. It's definitely been my recent go-to when I have nothing else to read. Go check it out if you haven't already!

As always, please review and let me know what you think!