This offer would be standing
All you've got to do is call
Don't be afraid to knock on the door.
After successfully throwing herself into the arms of her half-brother and his mother at the airport, Missy found herself seated around Marisol's kitchen table for Christmas Eve dinner. It was the first year that all three had been able to be together on the holiday since she was fifteen, and she was enjoying every minute of it.
Marisol had spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen, shoving both Josh and Missy out of the room at every opportunity, insisting that they would only ruin the dinner she was preparing. Josh, of course, took every opportunity to steal bits of dessert as soon as she pulled it out of the oven.
"Alright, scamp, tell me how you're holding up out there."
Missy looked up from the article on training samoyeds she was reading on her phone. As soon as she had arrived, Marisol had stuck her in a red Christmas sweater with a large decorated pine tree on the front. She pulled the long sleeves up to her elbows as she placed her phone on the table. "I'm doing well in school. I have a tutor for history, but other than that, practically perfect."
Josh nodded, taking a sip from Marisol's 'world famous' hot chocolate. "Those twins still bothering you?" he eyed her suspiciously, looking for any sort of response from the model.
"Kaoru and Hikaru? Come on, Josh. You know I can handle a couple of boys," she dismissed with a wave of her hand.
"True enough. But I think the real issue is, can they handle you, scamp?" the marine laughed, his warm blue eyes dancing with mirth. Just like his younger sister, his appearance was devastatingly attractive. He was tall, with olive toned skin and thick black hair. His eyes were a dark stormy blue, the same shade as his father's. A perfect combination of English and Colombian features.
Missy grinned widely. "They never can." She wiggled her eyebrows for dramatic effect, reaching for Josh's abandoned hot chocolate. Unfortunately for the model, the S.E.A.L.'s reflexes were as sharp as ever and he immediately slapped her hand with a growl, causing his sister to pull her hand back with a shriek.
"Meanie," she whined, holding her injured hand.
Josh raised his eyebrow and took a gleeful sip from his hot chocolate. "You were the one trying to steal my hot chocolate."
Naturally, the only option she had left was to stick her tongue out at him.
"Are you two done acting like children over there?" Marisol called cheerfully from her place in front of the oven.
"No!" the siblings replied in unison, a smile on their faces. It had been far too long since they had all been together, and they would get to spend the entire week in each other's company. Josh wasn't due back to his base in California for another two weeks, and Missy's flight didn't leave for Japan until the following Sunday. Meanwhile, Marisol had taken it upon herself to take off the entire week between Christmas and New Year's to enjoy the company of her son and adopted daughter.
Marisol shooed Josh and Missy into the living room, fixing them both with a glare as she wrung her hands in her apron.
As they settled on the couch, the marine exhaled slowly and put his elbows on his knees. He turned to his sister, his expression turning serious. "Did you get a call from Dad?"
The model looked down. "Yeah."
"Did you answer it?"
She frowned at him in reply. "No."
Josh groaned. "Come on, you have to at least listen to him."
"No, I really don't. I'm not interested in his version of 'parenting.'"
He sighed, having had this conversation many times with his younger sister. It was exhausting, but he had no intention on giving up. "He asked about you."
"Oh, so now you guys talk? Weekly chat on how I'm doing?" Missy snapped at him, leaning back against the arm of the couch. She curled her body up defensively, her entire frame tense and agitated.
"Come on, Mis, you know what I mean. He's still your father."
She grimaced. "So what'd you tell him?"
Josh shrugged, glad to see she had toned down the venom slightly. "That you were doing well and on track to graduate."
"I'll bet he liked that," she snorted.
He grinned wryly. "He did."
"Does he know about the modeling?" Missy asked curiously. William Preston had never been one for fashion, but she wondered if word had ever gotten to him about his daughter's activities.
"No, he doesn't know. Cousin Harry does though," Josh added with a grin.
"How did he find out? He doesn't pay attention to fashion."
"You know William's wife, Catherine, right?"
Missy rolled her eyes. "I didn't go to the wedding, but I met her at one of the dinners. She's nice."
Her brother laughed, glad to see some of the tension leave his sister's body. Though her relationship with her father could be described as estranged, she \was still on good terms with their cousins on their father's side. "Catherine is really into fashion. Will and Harry sent you a Christmas gift. Mom put it under the tree," Josh said, pointing towards their large, overly decorated, tree.
The teen squealed as she vaulted off the couch, almost tripping over the coffee table, and fell to her knees in front of the tree. "They always give the best gifts!"
"Put that down, you can't open anything, except Mom's Christmas Eve present, until tomorrow."
"Fight me."
"Okay, but temember that you asked for it!" Josh grinned as he jumped over the table. Missy shrieked and tried to roll out of the way, but he was too fast. He quickly tackled her to the ground, her stomach pinned to the floor. He had at least sixty pounds of muscle on her so he chose to simply lay on top of her.
"Josh," she whined, her voice muffled against the carpet. "Get off!"
"No."
"Jooooosh. Get your fat butt off of me."
"Josh!" Marisol's no-nonsense tone rang from the kitchen. "Get off your sister and come help me set the table!"
The marine pouted. "Mom-"
"Josh."
He may have been a combat trained operative, but he knew better than to go against his mother. The woman was lethal with a ladle. Agonizingly slowly, he stood up and headed over to the kitchen to set the table.
It wasn't a particularly large table, but their family was small so it hardly mattered. Marisol had put a bright red tablecloth on it, as well as poinsettias in the center. The woman lived to celebrate Christmas. Recently, it had just been Marisol and Missy, so they were happy to have Josh with them for the holiday.
As everyone dug into the large quantities of food, Missy found herself the object of the conversation. After all, Josh's life was mostly classified and Marisol was far more interested in her teenage daughter than her own life.
"So, Missy, tell me about this school," Marisol requested as she took a sip from her wine. Missy had thought about pouring some for herself, but one glance at her brother had her reaching for sparkling cider.
The model swallowed the salad she had been working on and put her fork down. "Ouran Academy? It's one of the best schools in Japan. Academically speaking, it's unprecedented."
"What about socially?" Josh asked pointedly, also taking a sip from his wine. The snob.
She had to think about that for a moment. "Well, it's mostly traditional," she admitted. "I have to wear a dress for the uniform, and I kid you not, there are bloomers," the model answered in disgust.
Marisol chuckled as she continued with her mashed potatoes. "And the students?"
Missy shrugged. "They're fine. They're nice enough, anyway. Conceited, but they're really friendly."
"And the boys?" Josh asked suggestively.
She shrugged in reply. "The same." He raised his eyebrows as if to suggest that she was lying. "Oh eat your bread roll," his sister challenged, to which he smugly took a large bite of his food. "They're nice, I'm making friends, but I just don't want to focus on dating and boyfriends right now. I have too much work to do," Missy insisted.
"Well that's good to know." Josh shared a knowing look with his mother who only smiled and continued to eat her dinner.
After dinner was over and the plates were cleared, the family gathered together to read from their bibles together. Every year, as was a family tradition, no matter where they were, they would read the second chapter of Luke, to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, for which the holiday was celebrated for.
While Missy considered her beliefs to be non-denominational, Marisol was raised in a strict catholic household. Josh had joined a methodist church some time after graduating high school, so while all three practiced different beliefs, they found that they were still able to enjoy and practice their religions together. It was gratifying to find something in common to celebrate instead of focusing on what they didn't agree on.
The very first Christmas Missy had spent with them, Marisol had insisted on bringing both children to mass, much to her dismay. However, the girl was able to find a lot of beauty in the service, even though it did not fit her own beliefs. After that, Marisol had never insisted on bringing any of her kids to mass, but they always knew they were welcome to join her. Some years they went, some years they did not. Nobody was forced or bullied into attendance, which was something that both Josh and Missy appreciated and respected about the older woman.
"Alright," Marisol said as she closed bible and placed it on the side table, "who is first?"
"ME!" both siblings shouted, racing for the tree and trying to trip each other up in the process. Their scuffle ended with both of them lying face down on the ground, their bodies stuck in uncomfortable positions as they imagined the bruises they would probably have in the morning. Marisol simply laughed. They had done this every year.
After searching under the tree for a moment, each kid came back to their mother was a gift in hand, both from Marisol.
They knew the tradition well enough and after a nod of encouragement from her, they tore through the wrapping paper to find a matching set of pajamas.
This year, she had opted for Star Wars onesies, hoods hanging over the back of them. Missy's face lit up as she opened her R2-D2 pajamas, immediately slipping inside. Meanwhile, Josh rumbled with laughter as he unfolded the matching C3-P0 onesie. "The best yet, mom," he cheered good-naturedly as he leaned forward to kiss his mother on the cheek. She preened from the attention before shooing them off to both change into their pajamas for pictures.
As soon as the two departed, Marisol headed back to the kitchen to start the milk for the hot chocolate and grab her phone to take pictures with.
"Admit it, my pajamas are better than yours."
"No way! Everyone knows R2 is the heart and soul of the industry!"
"He can't even talk!"
"He doesn't need words to communicate!" Missy defended against her brother, elbowing him playfully as they re-entered the living room to settle in for the pictures. They knew Marisol well enough to know that she loved to document their visits. She usually sent the pictures to her parents to keep them updated on her children. Much to Missy's surprise, Marisol's parents really liked the model, despite not being related to them. They usually sent her a card on her birthday and gift every Christmas. They had better memories than her own grandparents.
Before Marisol could even direct them, both children lined up in front of the fireplace. Josh put his arm around his sister's shoulders while Missy put her arm around his waist. They smiled widely, both grinning in their new comfy pajamas. "Say cheese!" she directed.
"Cheese!"
Of course, the older woman insisted on taking multiple pictures, changing their poses as well as moving their location. She insisted that she wanted them to have options. After the seventh picture, Josh started to fidget. After fussing through the eighth, Marisol released them with a wave of her hand, leaving her children to race off towards the kitchen for their Christmas Eve hot chocolate. They spent the rest of the evening laughing and smiling, and teasing each other about anything they could think of. Missy almost spilled her hot chocolate on three separate occasions, all three of which were stopped by her half brother.
Before she went to bed, however, she made sure to shoot off texts to her new friends overseas.
Missy: Merry Christmas, everyone!
Haruhi was the first to reply. Haruhi: Merry Christmas, Missy-chan! I hope you're having fun with your family! Also, I spoke to the landlord and he says you can move in next month.
Missy: Awesome! Thanks for letting me know.
Tamaki: Oh, my darling girl! I was beside myself with worry since I had not heard from you in so long! Make sure to call me every day to let me know that you're safe.
She rolled her eyes, refusing to dignify Tamaki's text with a reply. Within her first month at Ouran, the senior had decided that she was to be another member of their family, despite not being part of the Host Club. He had insisted that since she was one of the only students that knew Haruhi's true identity, that she was the only real female influence she had. And he felt that her classmate desperately needed the companionship.
Hikaru: Merry Christmas. Be sure to bring back a cool present for me.
Missy: The CD not good enough for you?
Hikaru: No, I like it. But I think you can do better than that.
Missy: Maybe if you're really lucky . . .
She honestly had no idea what she would get Hikaru. Maybe she would find something cool and touristy over the next week, but nothing came to mind.
Mori: Yeah, Merry Christmas.
Missy knew that even if she sent a follow-up message, she probably wouldn't get a reply. Mori-senpai was careful with his words, a quality that was much appreciated at the Club.
Hani: Merry Christmas, Masu-chan! We all miss you so much! When you come back, do you want to come visit me and Takashi and have some cake with us? Usa-chan misses you, too, and Chika-chan and Toshi-chan said they never see you at the club because Tama-chan, Hika-chan, and Kao-chan take all your time. Please come visit us!
Missy: I'd love to come see you! Tell Yasuchika-san and Satoshi-kun that I wish them a Merry Christmas too, I just forgot to get their numbers before I left.
Hani: I will!
The model felt a little bad. Despite seeing the two younger hosts at the club every week, she had never bothered to sit with them. She knew they were pleasant, but somehow the twins, or Tamaki, and on occasion, Haruhi, managed to take all her time.
Kyoya: Merry Christmas, Masumi-san, to you and your family.
Missy took a deep breath before typing out a reply. Things were still shaky between the two students, but she felt a lot of gratitude for the senior. She didn't understand his actions, but Kyoya wasn't one to do something without a plan. So, she was going to have to do something she didn't relish; trust.
Missy: Thanks, Kyoya-senpai. To yours as well."
Something left Missy feeling unsettled as she locked her phone, noting that there were no other messages. Kaoru hadn't responded to her text. Of course, he could have been busy, and she had no idea what time it was over there. Stifling another yawn and sliding under the covers of the bed in the guest bedroom, she silenced her phone and rolled over, sleep claiming her instantly.
The worst thing about being a marine was becoming accustomed to bizarre sleep patterns, and always waking up early. Josh couldn't remember the last time he had slept more than six consecutive hours, so when he woke up the next morning he was surprised to hear music coming from the kitchen.
With a wide grin on his face, he crept through the house silently, hoping to catch whoever was there unawares. Both Marisol and Missy had a tendency to sing while doing things, so it wouldn't have surprised him to see either of them in the kitchen.
Turning the corner, he crouched down low to avoid being seen. With a quick glance over the counter, he quickly covered his mouth so as not to blow his cover by laughing.
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart will go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
Missy was facing the granite covered island, pouring flour into a mixing bowl while belting along to the Titanic theme, completely unaware of her brother's presence.
Quickly, he grabbed her phone that was near the edge of the counter. If there was an opportunity to take embarrassing videos of his sister, singing along loudly while wear Star Wars pajamas, making the only thing she knew how to make, he would definitely take advantage, and make sure to send it to every boy in her contact list.
The first thing that caught his attention was an unopened message, sent earlier that morning. Since Missy didn't lock her phone (because she was lazy as hell), he was able to open it immediately. Yes, he was a nosy brother and reading her messages was a violation of her privacy, but she could be messaging some creepy guy! She was too trusting, and he had to protect his baby sister.
Fortunately, although the message was written in kanji, it had a translation option, which Josh made sure to press quickly, his gaze flickering between the phone and his sister. At any second, she could turn around and see him on the other side of the bar, going through her phone.
Missy: Merry Christmas, everyone!
Kaoru: Merry Christmas, Missy-chan. When you come back, we can pick up your dog from the shelter. Any idea on what you want to name him?
Josh cringed. Some guy bought his sister a dog for Christmas? How dare he? Was he trying to win over his baby sister?
After the immediate indignation passed, however, Josh remembered hearing her mention the name "Kaoru" before. If his memory served him correctly, that was one of the sons of the designer she was contracted under.
Ah.
It seems he wouldn't be needing a weapon just yet.
Looking back up at his sister, he grinned to see her holding a mixing bowl in her arms, stirring vigorously with a whisk in hand. Her eyes were closed as she belted the next verse, serenading the pancake batter. Josh quickly jumped into action, setting up the camera to record, careful not to miss a single second.
"You're here, there's nothing I fear! And I know that my heart will go on!" The model now faced her brother, but her eyes were still closed as she paced around the kitchen. "We'll stay, forever this way. You are here in my heart- Josh!"
The marine looked up from the phone to see his sister fuming at him, the bowl clutched tightly to her frame. Her nostrils flared with anger as she realized that he had been recording her the entire time. The brunette's eyes blazed and she held the whisk in her hand like a sword.
He snickered before sending it to all of her recent contacts.
Throwing the bowl down, the model lunged across the counter to try to regain her stolen property and stop the embarrassing video from being sent, spilling pancake batter all over the kitchen in the process. Unfortunately, as she swiped the phone from her brother's hand, who was holding his sides from laughing so hard, she realized that she was too late.
The video had been sent to a third of her contacts. Anyone she had texted in the last week would be watching a video of her singing Celine Dion in her R2-D2 pajamas while making pancakes.
Missy huffed and glared at her brother.
"Oh come on, scamp, it was cute!"
"You sent it to tons of people!" she hissed at him.
He only smiled in reply. "Are you worried a boy will see it?" Josh teased.
She scoffed. "No."
"Yeah? So who is Kaoru?"
The model lunged at him again, and this time, she hit her mark.
After a morning of opening presents, everyone had retreated to their own rooms to sort through what they had received and plan out thank-you cards.
While Missy was confirming the dates for the concert tickets Josh had given her, Marisol opened her door a crack. "Missy, can I come in?"
The model smiled and patted a spot on her bed, gesturing for her to enter and sit with her. Shutting the door behind her, Marisol entered with a box in her arms.
"Why-?"
Marisol held up a hand. "Josh would have lost his mind if you would have opened this in front of him. It's better to keep this between us girls," she teased, her eyes glinting with mischief as she handed the teen the carefully wrapped box.
The two women sat on the bed across from each other, their feet crossed under their knees. Missy looked at the box with a puzzled expression. What could be in it that Josh wouldn't want to see?
The older woman took a deep breath, which forced Missy to wonder if there was a planned speech with this gift.
"Before you open this gift, we should have a little chat."
Red flags were going up. Secret gift, comfortable seating, secluded conversation, the words little chat?
Oh no.
Oh no.
Uh-uh. No.
Missy swallowed, preparing to face her impending doom. "What about?" she squeaked.
The older woman smiled gently. "Do you remember when you first came here, and we had that chat about your body changing?"
". . . yeah."
"Good! Well, here's the follow up on that conversation!" Marisol chirped. "This is the kind of conversation that I wish my mother would have had with me when I was your age, and the kind that I know your mother won't have with you." Missy started to squawk in protest, but Marisol only held up her hand, effectively silencing her. "I know that you consider me your mother, but Mei is your mother too, even if she doesn't act like it."
Missy could only fall silent, hoping that the blankets would swallow her up and the conversation would end.
"I know we don't share the same religious beliefs, so I'm not sharing this with you based on my beliefs, but as a concerned mother," she said carefully, removing the lid from the box.
Missy looked up, avoiding the box in its entirety.
"Now, sweet pea, sex is a beautiful and wonderful thing."
No no no no no no.
"And?" Missy asked tentatively.
"And I want you to be able to experience that kind of joy in your life."
"But?" Missy knew better. She knew that had to be a 'but' to that statement. No way was it going to end there.
Marisol paused, surprised at how well the conversation was going. When she had done this with Josh when he was a teenager, he hadn't made eye contact with her for the next week. "But, I want you to experience it with the right person, at the right time."
Well that was a little unexpected. "So, when I'm married?"
The Colombian woman shifted on the bed slightly, scooting closer to the obviously nervous teenager. "If that's the decision you make for yourself, then yes. However, what's more important is that you don't run before you can walk.
"There are going to be times in your life when you're going to want to move to the next step, maybe even skip a few steps, because it will feel right in that moment. But if you jump ahead, you will regret it. We have these steps for a reason."
So, the traditional catholic woman was telling her to have sex? There was no way. No way in hell that was what was happening.
"I know what you're thinking, I can see on your face," Marisol said warmly. Yes, this was an uncomfortable conversation, but it needed to happen. "What I'm telling you is to take your time. Make sure you trust your partner, and explore the shore before you try to sail up the coast. Unplanned sex may sound exciting, but there are bound to be problems. A lot of people experience self esteem issues if they jump into the physical side of their relationship too soon. Not to mention that it can be harder to establish an emotional connection if your focus is on the physical."
"So," Missy interjected, "What you're telling me is to not rush things?" She desperately needed clarification at this point.
Marisol nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying. You may see your friends entering into sexual relationships, and you may even feel excluded for waiting, but trust me, it isn't worth it. Open communication with your partner is the most important thing. You need to both be ready. And if you can't talk about it honestly with each other, then you're not ready for it. And if you have sex before you can really talk about it, you're following your emotions instead of listening to your heart."
"Okay, don't get caught up in the moment. Open communication. Got it," the uncomfortable reiterated, drawing her knees up to her chest. There was a blush coating her cheeks and probably creeping down her neck, but she knew the conversation was far from over. "But there's nothing to worry about right now. I'm not even seeing anyone right now . . ."
"Whether or not you're in a serious relationship now, you still need to hear this. You never know when your life can change. So . . ."
The model finally snuck a glance at the now open box. There was an array of-
She didn't.
Now Missy just wanted to die.
"Did you-"
Marisol grinned as she pulled objects out of the box. "I did!" In her hands was an arrangement of colored lace and silk, different patterns and designs on each item.
The teen groaned and shoved a pillow in her face. "You bought me lingerie," came her muffled voice through the pillow. "Why?!"
Playfully, Marisol threw a silk bralette at her. "It's so cute, Missy! And look at it, it practically screams you!" she laughed. "Plus, if you have the clothes for it, it's a lot easier to prepare for it."
Missy was about to retort that having her mother buy lingerie would never prepare her for sex when her phone vibrated next to her. Seizing the opportunity to distract herself from the awful conversation, she quickly opened the message.
To which, she was treated to a video of Hikaru, rummaging through his closet, wearing pajamas, and singing loudly. "Baby, baby, I feel crazy. Up all night, all night and every day." There wasn't even any music playing, but Hikaru was wiggling to the imaginary soundtrack while he sang.
The camera started to shake and she could hear Kaoru laughing from the other side. Hikaru, hearing the laughter, quickly whipped around, and seeing his little brother, lunged for him. From there, the screen went dark, and Missy couldn't help but laugh.
A warm feeling filled her stomach as she considered what Kaoru had done. He had taken her embarrassing video and countered it with his brother to try to make her feel a little less ashamed of what her brother had sent. He was a good friend.
A really good friend.
A/N: First things first, sorry this is so late. The holidays are a busy time for everyone, but I promise I have been writing a ton, just not on this chapter, lol.
Second, I changed my name on here. My old name just didn't fit me anymore, ya know? It's actually what my tumblr url is, so feel free to follow me, if you want. It's just shitposting and my dumbass poetry, but maybe some of you are into that?
Third, this chapter has a really important follow up that will be up in the next few days.
And lastly, welcome to the new followers, and a special thanks to those who have kept up with this garbage story from the beginning.
-Star
P.S. Check out Wendy imouto chan's story. She's also doing a KaoruxOC story and it's really good, so give her love and support!