Chapter Twelve: Mistletoe
It was strange how before they were said, three such simple words had such a big impact. Since the day the attorney met the writer, the words had been growing in their fertile hearts like red river lilies. The roots had become tangled all throughout the surface, but neither could think of what to call it. The desire to acknowledge it without seeming a fool to the other tore through the watery veins, but as fate would have it, no sooner than the words came did their hearts become a garden in spring, warm and sweet.
Touching as the moment may have been, their relationship fell back into a regular routine only minutes later. They had given their feelings a name, not created new ones in an instant.
"I cannot believe," Rei moaned, "you talked me into walking." The snow had of course continued to fall. There couldn't have been more than ten centimeters and the buses had practically shut down in Poplar, where they'd been stranded after the confession. It would take forty minutes to get to the lawyer's house by car, Nagisa estimated, and they were stranded on foot.
"Don't be so dramatic," the blond chided cheerily, cozily snuggled up to his lover. The brunet gave him a hopeless look. "The way I see it, we've got two choices," he offered, "we can walk to my house or we can walk to the underground. They're probably equal distance."
"I should probably go home on my own," Rei told him apologetically. "I wanted to visit my client tomorrow and prepare her for the verdict. It should come Monday, but I wanted part of my day to be cleared." Well, the blond was slightly disappointed, but shrugged nonetheless and kissed the corner of his boyfriend's mouth.
"That's fine, then. I'll go home. You can get to the station all right on your own?" He nodded confidently, shaking his glasses a little, and kissed the younger man firmly on the lips.
"I'll see you for lunch on Monday." The writer nodded his confirmation. Then, sweet and clear as the first time, Rei told him: "I love you, Nagisa."
"I love you too!" he hummed happily, parting ways with him after one last close hug. The warmth followed him all the way home, so much that even when he realized he'd left yesterday's outfit at his boyfriend's, he couldn't bring himself to care. It was an excuse to visit him again, after all!
His house was warm and well-lit when he returned, and the blond was pleasantly surprised to see some of his long-lost Christmas decor put up. He suspected Haruka must have done it. Since his return, the enigmatic American had been hopping between motels to stay in, having put a bit of a strain on his savings, so Nagisa had offered to let him stay as a roommate. Though there were many nights where he stayed elsewhere (Nagisa couldn't imagine why, though), the arrangement was working out well - he'd found a job at a zoo and was currently going through the lengthy process of getting his visa changed to permit work. The handsome Makoto Tachibana had been ever so helpful, arguing that Haruka was a pivotal witness to his case to the embassy and doing research in his spare time for ways that he might extend his visa.
"Welcome home," the stoic man greeted as Nagisa twirled happily inside. "Did you fuck?" The blond couldn't even bring himself to shoot a scolding glance for his joy.
"He loves me," he sighed to his friend, "he said so." The black-haired boy subtly switched his tone from crude to congratulatory and buried his hands in his sweatpants pockets.
"That's nice," he remarked. It might not have been much, but his clear blue eyes told the truth - he was pleased for Nagisa. Or, he would be for as long as the blond wasn't annoying about the ordeal. He was an expert at stretching out the time it took for Haru to be annoyed, however, and interrupted his pleasure for a question.
"How are things going with Mr. Makoto?" he inquired teasingly, slipping onto the couch and crossing his legs. His eyes were playful - surely everyone was as happy as he was in this moment!
"The case is going well," the young man informed him, pulling out a pot for spaghetti - he had guessed that neither had eaten yet, it appeared. "He says my testimony will be important, but we just need a bit more incriminating evidence. He wants to go through some of the company's pictures of me in the water with the nets, but they aren't giving in. He'll need to subpoena it." Try as he might to throw the blond off his trail by responding sensibly, Haru would never be able to evade him.
"You certainly like to talk a lot about the case and Makoto, don't you?" he pointed out teasingly. The brunet did not speak with him for the rest of the night.
Once Monday rolled around, all of Nagisa's friends were eager to hear about the time he'd spent with Rei. At least, he'd liked to think they were. They were all honestly happy for him, but they spent as much time as possible attempting to derail him. Especially poor Gou, who had to bear the brunt of the burden, as her desk was right beside the excitable blond's.
"And then, I was practically bawling in his arms," he exaggerated, leaning over the desk to chat with the redhead, "and he tilted up my chin, looked into my eyes, and said in the most serious tone I've ever heard him use, 'I love you, Nagisa, and I always will'. It was terribly romantic."
"Mmhmm," Gou nodded, eyes glued to her computer screen. "I'll bet he swung you up into his arms and made love to you right there in the snow." The blond quieted, sending her a sassy glare, but Momo, who had been listening, cut in.
"I think that's amazing!" he enthused to the writers brightly. "I hope something like that happens to me sometime! In uni, everyone's so focused on messing around, it's hard to find something like that!"
"Finding someone like Rei is hardly common, Momo," Gou protested, "otherwise, I'd already be in the arms of some handsome lord from Italy or Spain or something, and be able to toss all my worries away while spending every last pound I have."
"You're just being pessimistic 'cause you've been single so long," Nagisa informed her.
"You should date my brother!" Momo offered, pulling out his cellphone. The woman sighed deeply, slightly annoyed with the two men.
"I've already said no, I don't care what he looks like. I need to focus on work for now. When someone comes around, I'll know, all right?" They smiled and, when Ms. Amakata called for her secretary, all returned to their tasks. After a while, the lady turned to her friend and asked, "Hey, you're going out to photograph jewelry displays today, right? Could you do me a favor?" The blond checked the time - he'd need to be leaving soon for it, come to think.
"Sure," he replied easily, shutting his laptop and placing his borrowed camera in his purse.
"Can you find a display with midriff-baring formal wear? I need it for today's post."
"Sure, that shouldn't be too hard," he told her. Gou's posts were usually weekly, but like the blond, she had taken on a holiday challenge - 25 posts, one each day, in the form of an outfit Advent calendar. It was one of the cutest things he'd seen! She had also spotted a new formal wear trend before the other magazines - Ms. Amakata had been extremely happy with her.
Nagisa slung his bag over his shoulder and left the office behind, waving to his friends as he made his way (he kept some gossip tidbits as well - Hana and Michael were sharing quite the cute laugh by the water cooler). He was ahead of schedule for once, so when he came across a glittering Swarovski crystal jewelry display, gleaming in all shades of dark blue, he was careful to snap a shot. And were those cufflinks he saw? They would look lovely on Rei...
Intrigued, the writer popped into the shop and glanced through their selections. It was a fine store; he did not recognize it as a chain, but it was obviously stocked with accessories for the high class. Not a few minutes had he been there than did an employee approach him, inquiring about his camera.
"I'm a writer for the fashion magazine, Elite," he explained, handing the man a business card. "May I speak with your manager about featuring that jewelry display in our monthly accessories column?" He was quick to set up his feature with the higher-ups, but before he left, he had to ask... "Excuse me? How much are these cufflinks?" The employee told him and of course, the answer was way too much. The blond wanted to buy his boyfriend something nice for Christmas, though he needed something at least affordable. He glanced through his other selections before his eyes found something beyond a doubt entirely beautiful and perfect. From a display off to the side, he lifted a silk lavender tie and matching pocket square. And better yet - they were far cheaper than the luxury crystal cufflinks. Besides, he rationed as he paid for the gift and slipped it into his bag, the light purple would really bring out Rei's lovely blue eyes - they were almost violet themselves - and would match the grey while bringing color to his wardrobe. And what was more usable and practical than a tie? Perhaps the pocket square was just for looking nice, but it added a touch of personality as well. And the color worked for winter and spring!
What with his distraction, Nagisa was about five minutes late, as per usual. He found Rei sitting at a counter with his usual order (and the blond's as well), glancing through a crossword puzzle. With easy routine, the younger man slipped into the chair beside him and immediately leaned over his shoulder to read what he had.
"What are you stuck on?" he pressed, not bothering to give a proper greeting. They'd been at it for too long to bother much with such chit-chat these days and he found Rei didn't mind his eagerly jumping in. Polite as he may be, he did not care for small-talk, especially when he was focused.
"Twenty-one across, to start," the attorney reported. "The given clue is 'skirt waistband'. Right up your alley."
"Yoke," the blond told him in an instant. "I've sewed skirts before. I made the tulle one I wore on Saturday," he informed him, keeping up with their game.
"Really?" Rei asked incredulously. "It looked beautiful, I never would have guessed you made it yourself." The young man beamed at him and said a quick thank you. He was surprised, however, when the brunet folded the newspaper and placed it back in his briefcase. "I wanted to speak with you about your father," he explained, handing the blond his coffee. Curious, he sipped and waited for his lover to continue on his own. "I've been thinking about Christmas and I would like you to spend Christmas Eve at my house and stay over. If you're comfortable with it, I would also like to join you and him at the hospital to spend the rest of the day. Does that work for you?" Dark though the day may have been, Nagisa was brighter than the sun. He flung his arms around his boyfriend and with an emphatic, 'I love you!', he agreed.
"My sisters aren't ever around and I told Mum I was too busy with work to come 'round this year, anyways, so it'll be nice to actually celebrate Christmas, you know?" he explained to a flustered Rei. "Plus," he confessed, "it's nice not having to choose between you and my dad - I love you both, after all!" With an abashed grin, the brunet told him, "I love you too. We ought to make plans before Christmas as well."
"Like what?" he asked, drinking some of his coffee and tearing off a part of Rei's scone. The attorney shrugged.
"A date of some sort. I'd like to take you and your father out to dinner one of these nights to tell him about the plans for Christmas, but that aside, having time with just the two of us would be nice. You're better at thinking of these romantic things, what do you want to do?" Nagisa pursed his lips slightly.
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Give some time to think and I'll text you. What were you thinking for dinner?"
"A sushi restaurant?" his beau suggested. Nagisa nodded his approval - he and his father both adored sushi. "Good. Does this Friday at seven work?"
"Fine by me!" Rei gave a quick nod, whipping out his phone to record the date, before setting business aside and relaxing slightly. Their eyes met and they smiled in the quiet for a moment, enjoying one another. The writer leaned into his boyfriend, who placed a gentle, massaging hand on his knee. "How did the case turn out?" he asked politely.
"We won. It wasn't an unexpected outcome. The defendant had two counts of first-degree murder, after all." The man brushed it off like it was dull, but his little lover grinned happily at him.
"Congratulations! I'm really proud of you!" he enthused. The older man kissed him lightly.
"Thank you," he replied, patting his knee comfortably. "I ought to be going now - you too. Didn't you say you had photography to do today?" He rolled his eyes and informed his boyfriend,
"That generally means I have more time to spend with you." They stood nonetheless - he may have had the extra time, but that didn't mean the same for the attorney. Before parting ways, however, the brunet was careful to grab him and give him a proper goodbye for once. He took the blond's chubby cheeks in his hands, rubbing his thumb under his lower lashes and focusing on those pretty sunrise eyes. Nagisa had gone entirely pink - passersby were staring - and after a long, rib-aching heartbeat, he leaned in and delivered a hard, passionate kiss that was much too short for the blond's liking.
"I love you," he repeated, embracing him tenderly about the neck. A little baffled, but joyously nonetheless, he reciprocated his boyfriend.
"I love you too, Rei."
The young man spent the rest of the day wondering exactly what that episode had been about. It was unlike the lawyer to be liberal or spontaneous with his affections, especially in public. The combination of all three had left him in quite the daze and he was thankful that his photography didn't require nearly as much focus as his writing did - otherwise, he'd have had a tough time returning to work. His boyfriend had run so deep into his mind that when he came across a white-gold and diamond jewelry display modeled after ice and snowflakes, his first thought was far from his article. In fact, he tugged his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to the older man as soon as he saw it.
To: Rei Ryugazaki
Lets go iceskating! we can go to winter wonderland!
There certainly was no conquest more romantic than skating under the stars (or clouds, as it were). Every year, Hyde Park was dolled up in the loveliest lights and fixed up with a festival to celebrate Christmas. With it was London's largest outdoor ice rink. He'd taken lessons in skating when he was younger and he could imagine nothing sweeter than his boyfriend falling all over him as he unsteadily scooted along!
Rei replied a few minutes later with an affirmation - he offered to schedule it himself as well. With that, the blond found fit to return to the office and give the formatting department his photos and gave Gou her few photos for the blog.
Nothing particularly noteworthy went on for the remainder of the week. Rei told him that he'd gotten a reservation for their skating session on Saturday at nine in the evening, leaving them with the final time for the night. He also informed his beau that he planned to take half of Friday off, partly for work, and partly to spend a bit of the afternoon with the colonel. The blond agreed that he would too, but to make up for it, he'd had to work Wednesday and cancel their jogging. He complained about it when he next saw Rei for lunch on Thursday.
"I'm going to get fat," he whined dramatically, using that as his fact in conjunction with the crossword puzzle (the word had been 'phospholipid'). "Then you'll never want me!" Rei huffed, kissing his hand lightly.
"Even if you get fat, I love you and think you're beautiful," he insisted. He placed his hands on the younger man's cheeks, pinching them slightly - he certainly had been awfully affectionate with the boy as of late. "That aside, your cheeks are cute when they're chubby." His pretty, pale face flushed cherry pink and he glanced away without protesting. The direction in which he'd happened to look, however, held a very interesting sight with quite a familiar face. Sensing his lover's distraction, Rei released him. "What's the matter?" he inquired.
"That's Momo," he stated, having spied his friend across the shop from them. "I think he's with someone... He looks familiar, but I can't place his face, you know?" Absently, he commented, "He's hot." The brunet raised an eyebrow and gave him a slightly incredulous look at his boldness, but he wasn't really concerned until he spouted, "Oh my God! That must be Momo's brother! He wasn't kidding about him being attractive."
"I beg your pardon?" the attorney protested, straightening himself and reexamining the man with a dash of jealousy.
"Don't be stupid," Nagisa chastised him humorously. "Momo's been trying to set him up with Gou, so he must be straight." The attorney didn't reply and when he glanced over his shoulder, he had his eyes trained on the casually stylish man.
They watched the pair quietly for a few minutes - nothing much of interest happened, but it was clear they were related - before Rei murmured an excuse to go. Concerned, the blond followed him out the door.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked, pulling him to the side so as not to be in the way of others. The brunet hesitated, casting his gaze away, before regarding his partner uncertainly.
"Do you... find me attractive?" Baffled, Nagisa nodded.
"Of course I do, you're adorable!" he stated, giving his boyfriend a sunny smile. The older man huffed impatiently and replied, "Not like that," he protested, "I mean physically - or well, that is to say... I suppose, am I hot to you too?" He tripped over the words a little, but he guessed that more than jealous, Rei had felt insecure. It was an odd emotion for the man, and like all times when he was bothered, his eyebrows ticked down under his glasses.
"Oh, Rei," the blond sighed, "you could never be so simple." He shot over a questioning look, needing an answer, and the younger man took his hand and led him into the alley beside their coffee shop, leaning against a wall and pulling his beau in for a deep embrace. "You're handsome," he complimented, kissing his neck, "and warm and charming." He'd intended to leave it at that, but apparently, the brunet was demanding when he needed reassurance. He took the blond's chin in his fingers, hovering over him in the shadows, the whole of his face cast in dark shadow. For a long while those dark sky eyes had Nagisa pinned and his heart fluttered like the last leaf in the wind, trembling like it had upon their first kiss. The lawyer leaned in, hot and heavy upon him, and shoved their lips together, trapping his little shivering bird in that alleyway.
The kiss was hard and warm, but bitterly short and not a moment later, he pulled away, his face colored high with embarrassment.
"I do apologize," he muttered, "I didn't mean - that was completely inappropriate - should have asked..." After a hasty goodbye, he left the younger boy there shuddering against the cold wall, confused, but high in color and heartbeat. He most certainly had not been scared, but that was most surprising - and, frankly, sexy. He'd never pegged Rei as the type to shove someone against a wall and kiss them like that. He wondered all the way back to work if that's what the lawyer had been intending to prove, but he'd looked so guilty after the fact that he couldn't be sure.
Though he texted the man to check up on him several times throughout the course of that day and the next, he never received a reply, which was notably out of character for Rei. When Friday afternoon came, he wasn't even sure if he could still expect him to show up at the hospital for their plans with the colonel.
As he was walking up the drive to St. Lucy's that day, Nagisa found his boyfriend waiting for him by the door, looking slightly apologetic with a poinsettia in his hands. The blond brightened immediately and jogged the rest of the way up, shouting a friendly greeting at him.
"I got these for your father," he informed the writer, shaking the flower slightly. Coloring and not able to fully meet his eye, he proceeded, "I am sorry for how I acted the other day - I shouldn't have just left like that, and being so forceful in public... How humiliating."
"It's all right," the younger man soothed with a giggle. "I actually found it really hot." He let the cherry-red lawyer follow in step behind him as he confidently pranced up the steps and into the hospital. The blond led the way to his father's room and was pleased to see that the lights Rei had strung, though messy in his haste, lit up the area prettily. The colonel himself was as cheerful and bright at the prospect of leaving his room to go to a restaurant - the doctor had said exercise would do him good.
"Pleasure to see you again so soon!" he greeted his son's boyfriend, giving his hand a firm shake. "Hope you're here to help finish what you've started!" The room had become rather cramped; around the floors were cardboard boxes with old decorations, but the only ones out were the nativity, tree, and ornaments they'd put up previously.
"Of course!" Nagisa enthused, grabbing the first one he could find and messing around with its contents. Rei placed the poinsettia flower on the coffee table.
"I'll fix up this mess," he offered, already buckling down to work on the disaster they'd created last weekend. The blond had found the stockings - there were only six of them. One had belonged to each of the children in his family and two for the parents. Originally, there had been an extra as well, but they'd never used it.
"I remember these!" he enthused warmly, picking the one that had been traditionally his from the stack. All of them were finely embroidered with various Christmas themes. His had been the one with a nighttime scene of a ballerina dancing in the snow, much to his mother's chagrin. Her skirt was covered with glass beads, spiraling toward the bodice, an image inspired by The Nutcracker. His father had bought it as a bit of a consolation prize - when he did a recital of the popular ballet, he was cast as the nutcracker, not Clara. His mother had been mad enough about the stocking, but goodness, was she furious when one of the gifts he'd received that year was his very own sparkling tutu!
Nagisa glanced through the others. His oldest sister, Emi, had one somewhat similar to his, at least in setting. Instead of a dancer, she had a deer with a crown of antlers and holly around his neck, the berries having been done in red beads. Hana and Rika, the twins, had images that matched closely - one with a rocking horse under a tree and another with a teddy bear. His father had a classic image of Santa Claus himself, merrily sitting on a roof with a golden glow from a village below.
The last of the six in the box was not his mother's, but the extra they'd never used. It was a Christmas tree, bright and sparkling with hundreds of beads for ornaments, and gifts underneath. He didn't ask what happened to the other one, but instead used the seventh, his father's, and his own to decorate, hanging the three just beside the window sill.
"This one's for you, Rei," he informed his boyfriend, pointing to the stocking with the tree. The man colored, masking his embarrassment with an expression of complete focus, burying himself in the task at hand, though the tree had already been fixed.
"I don't really need one, Nagisa," he insisted, straightening the already-perfect star atop the tree. The colonel protested before his son could.
"Nonsense, you're coming over, after all. You need one as well." The brunet opened his mouth to protest once more, but the young writer cut him off.
"There's really no use trying, there are two Hazukis here." He gave a quick snort of a laugh and stated bluntly, "Of course. I should save my breath." They chuckled at him and each returned to their work. In his box, the blond found some old Christmas photos (including one of him in his new tutu, which the lawyer took a hearty chuckle at) and a surprising group of recipes he'd forgotten about long ago. The colonel entrusted them to the young couple with the promise that they'd make something Christmas day to share with him.
"Rei, my boy," called the old colonel from his box while the blond reminisced through the recipes, "could you hang this up, right around the coffee table?"
"Absolutely." The man stood, dragging a chair beside Nagisa, and used some tape to put up a bit more decor about the room before breaking to sit beside the young man. "Don't get distracted," he chided his boyfriend as he glanced through the old keepsakes. The younger man stuck out his tongue in reply and just as the brunet was about to bicker, there was a light cackle from the corner where Colonel Ken had wheeled himself. The son sent a scolding glance to his father - laughing at an arguing couple, the nerve - but he just pointed up. The younger men looked there, then to each other. Oh, Nagisa thought, mistletoe . That's what Rei had taped to the ceiling, though the dork himself had seemingly forgotten (or perhaps hadn't noticed in the first place).
"Well?" the blond prompted with a pout on his plump lips. Rei muttered a sad excuse about silly traditions, why must he be the one to follow them, but smiled shyly and, with a tremble, leaned in to give his boyfriend the coveted mistletoe kiss. Giggling sweetly, his smaller partner flung his arms around his neck with abandon, keeping himself enthusiastic but chaste. Through his romantic daze, he heard the creak of the door, and lightly one of his eyes opened.
He shoved Rei away as soon as possible, scrambling back with his heart hitting his ribs like a hammer.
Emi stood in the doorway, her hazel eyes incredulous. Across from him, the attorney appeared slightly hurt, but more confused than anything else. He examined the woman in the doorway, finding her heart-shaped face and mess of curls inexcusably familiar.
"Emi," Nagisa breathed, shakily standing up, "what on earth are you doing here?" Her eyes flickered between the dumbstruck lawyer and her panicky brother, then at last fixed upon her father in some silent question.
"Well, I came to visit Dad," she began uncertainly, "but, erm... Who's this?" She gestured to the brunet sitting opposite them and before he himself could reply, her brother cut in.
"My friend," he informed her hastily, sending Rei a begging, apologetic look.
"But you were just -"
"It was a joke!" he insisted, pointing to the dastardly plant above them. "Just a Christmas joke, but why are you here? What about Essex? Why aren't you there?" She stayed quiet a moment longer, analyzing the stranger in her midst, and at last turned and approached her father. He welcomed her with open arms, hugging her tight.
"My fiance and I broke up," she informed her family. "It was awhile ago, but I thought it was about time I focused on family a bit more, so I found a job in London. I meant this to be a nice surprise, but you don't seem very pleased," she accused the young man. He crossed his arms.
"Well, considering how you completely abandoned us years ago, it's no shock we aren't happy about it!" he snapped, tossing her stocking into the empty box. She recoiled from the accusation, her face contorting into what appeared an angry expression, but after many years, he recognized that it meant she was going to cry.
"Nagisa!" his father chastised, rolling his wheelchair up in front of him. "That was uncalled for. You two aren't children anymore - apologize." His face bent itself into a bitter shape and, feeling his own hot salty tears beginning to fill his eyes, he shook his head.
"No. In fact, I think it's time I go." And with that, he whirled around, stalking out of the room furiously. He didn't say goodbye or collect his coat from the rack - he was too angry. He stomped out into the biting, harsh cold, all the way to that damn bridge of Rei's (though it wasn't actually far), if it was so useful for helping thoughts. The water was unmoving, frozen over, and dark, and with frustration, he kicked at the railing.
"Nagisa," called a gentle voice from behind him some time later. He shuddered, half in cold, half in rage, and refused to turn around and look at his boyfriend. His wet tears pattered down to the ice below. A warm set of hands placed a grey, woollen coat over his shoulders. "Come on, now," he urged quietly, "why don't you look at me?"
"No," he protested petulantly, closing his eyes just in case he'd glance Rei's way. The attorney embraced him from behind, putting his head on his shoulder.
"Now, don't be childish," he scolding softly, rubbing his two arms up and down in a gesture of comfort. They stayed silent for awhile longer until the younger man's tears faced to chilly sniffles. Then, the lawyer informed him, "She came to apologize, you know."
"I don't want to hear that from you," he told his boyfriend. "They all completely left us alone for seven entire years . I had to take care of it all myself, you know. The waste bags, the doctors appointments, the medical bills... I couldn't even go to graduate school. She can't just show up all this time later and claim to love us now that it's easy ." Rei carefully considered his next words.
"I think," he began, "that she wants to share the burden. You two are adults, and I know you love her anyways - it hurts, I know, but it's about time to move on from it." He was about to protest once more, but the brunet spoke over him. "That doesn't mean forgive her right now. It just means giving her another chance to be a part of your lives and another try at having your trust." The man kissed the blond's chilled ear. "I told them I'd bring you back. Why don't we head over?" The blond relaxed his stiff muscles tiredly, leaning back into the older man's chest. Faithfully, he supported his small boyfriend until the writer saw it fit to leave.
They held hands during the slow trudge back to the hospital, both thoughtful and uncertain. Before they went back inside, Nagisa turned to his partner and kissed his cheek.
"I'm sorry I told her you were my friend," he apologized, "it's just that she doesn't know. Not her, or my mom, or my other sisters, or my step-father. I only told Daddy."
"That's what I thought," he replied, stroking his candle-light blond hair. "We'll work it out with your family together, because I love you, and I won't leave you to do it alone." The writer took a deep breath, untying the knot in his heart, and breathed out a soft, billowy cloud.
"Thank you, Rei. That's really the nicest thing anyone's done for me." The lawyer huffed at the boy, as if asking what else he expected him to do, and without letting go of one another, they entered the building and began strolling back to the room. The pair walked in and, with a little regret in the air, released one another before entering the room to greet the younger man's family.
Emi was sitting on the ground at the coffee table, pensively searching through the photos, but looked up and stood when her brother entered.
"Listen, Nagisa," she began, sounding as though she'd rehearsed in his absence, "I'm sorry about these past few years. You've had to grow a lot in a short amount of time, I know. You're really not the little brother I remember, so I'd really like to be a part of your life again." Hopelessly she shrugged, and pushed her black hair back nervously. "I've been so obsessed with work and my life that I didn't even notice you had one, too."
"It's okay," Nagisa told her, "you're here now and trying, I guess." She strolled up to him, swinging an arm around him in a hug and he replied in kind, digging his fingers into her coat. For a moment, the sister of his memories was there - the one who'd scared off bullies with her softball bat in hand, or by kicking a football in their direction, but who teased him relentlessly herself and used all the make-up their mother bought her on him instead. "I missed you," he confessed.
"I missed you too." They separated, giving a tentative grin of goodwill, and she faced the attorney. "You must be the 'special' friend," she stated, swinging a hand out for a shake as her brother gave out a cry in embarrassment. "Oh, relax, Nagisa, Dad told me while you were out throwing a tantrum. I'm not that surprised anyways." Rei took her hand, giving it a firm shake, and introduced himself.
"Rei Ryugazaki, attorney at law," he said officially, adjusting his glasses with his left hand.
"Chief Inspector Emi Hazuki," she replied with an edge of pride which all the Hazukis held - the blond guessed she'd been recently promoted to that position, whatever it meant. At his side, Rei looked considerably impressed by the rank.
"I hope we can work together in the future," he said, releasing her hand, "I prosecute criminal cases, after all." She gave him a wry smile and nodded.
"I'm glad to hear you're not in defense. You seem competent - couldn't have you getting criminals off." He chuckled, thanking her, and placed a hand on the small of Nagisa's back - it seemed she'd figured out the 'big secret' anyhow.
"We were going to get sushi," Rei told her. "It's not far, if you'd care to join us for dinner." He arched his brow and gave Nagisa a nudge.
"... I'd like it if you came, to be honest," he confessed. His father nodded at his side, and again Emi made a haughty face that said she could cry. She offered to push her father along, which the blond was glad of - it could get heavy at times.
As they strolled along, their chatter was light and pleasant. Gradually, the young man continued to warm up to his sister once more, to the point where he even insisted she sit next to him at the restaurant like she used to.
The place had a modern feeling to it. Most of the furniture was dark, highlighted by the traditional decor with off-white backgrounds. There was a bar towards the front, illuminated in pink and yellow light, with a long painting stretched out behind it - an image of spring flowers on a cherry tree. It was in a quieter area of town, not far from the park, but a ways from the blond's house.
Rei greeted a hostess in Japanese and like a switch, the Hazukis switched easily into the language themselves. The woman working in the bar waved to the man as they passed and sat in a corner nearby, the hostess politely removing a chair for the colonel and adding a set of silverware.
"This is such a nice place!" the blond enthused in Japanese, smiling to his boyfriend. "How did you find it?"
"My father invested in it when it was a small start up in Essex, so we've known the head chef since I was young. We were lucky - it's become a very successful business. The crew in both locations are quite talented." The brunet wasn't one to praise things without cause and so the blond paid close attention to what was on the menu. It was rather basic at the heart of things, but there were interesting twists to many of the dishes that made his mouth water. When the waiter came by to take their order, they decided on getting several large dishes to share (though Nagisa made sure to order his own miso soup). As they were waiting, however, Emi made it her business to get to know her brother once again - and she started with the obvious.
"So... how long have you two been together now?" she wondered awkwardly, glancing between her brother and his beau. The blond shrugged.
"A while now, I guess." The woman made an annoyed face, one that was incredibly similar to Rei's, and the brunet himself rolled his eyes and replied,
"We met in late September, but we really started dating early October." She nodded, satisfied, before continuing with her questioning.
"Erm... What is it you two do together exactly?" It was the brother's turn to be slightly vexed.
"The same thing straight couples do, I reckon," he stated matter-of-factly, sipping at his drink and haughtily refusing to look at her.
"I didn't mean it like that," she grumbled, "I was wondering about your lifestyle. Honestly, you take things so personally."
"We go jogging every Wednesday," Rei supplied to stop the bickering siblings, "and we usually have lunch together a couple days out of the week, if we're not too busy."
"There's a coffee shop we go to," he agreed, "where we met. We were both doing crosswords and now we do them all the time together."
"That's nice," Emi stated. Their food came around then causing a lull in the conversation for a while beyond standard praise. "What do you do now, Nagisa?" she pressed. He supposed it was the investigator in her that made her feel like she needed to know absolutely everything about him (or the Hazuki - he was inquisitive himself).
"I write for Elite, the fashion magazine - I have a monthly column." She blinked, taken aback, and ate a roll.
"That's impressive," she praised around a mouthful of food. The younger boy took a bite of rice.
"I know," he mumbled around the food. "It's a lot of fun. It's about accessories. You should think about taking my advice." Rei looked offended on behalf of the woman, but she nodded with considerable gusto (a competent woman she may have been, but she was a Hazuki first and foremost and that came with an inability to be insulted when she knew she deserved it).
All in all, it was a pleasant evening for the family. As they made their way home, Rei and Emi enjoyed themselves with a discussion of the law - she was interested in the most recent case he'd done. Nagisa had already heard about it, so he hung back with the colonel, quietly chatting about how nice the night had been for them. The old man was brimming with happiness at having left the hospital for a spell. In the end, he supposed dinner was the best gift he and Rei could have given him.
A/N: Giving poinsettias to friends/family around Christmas is a Lebanese tradition.