11.
Disclaimer : The usual being me ranting about how I do not own BroCon and throwing myself a pity party . ^sighs^ Oh well.
Minna-san ! I am not sure whether I shall be updating next week as it is...CHRISTMAS WEEK ! So , do not panic and think that I have forgotten about you guys :)
Chapter 11 : A bit too drunk on information
It has been precisely three weeks , four days , ten hours and fifteen , oh wait , sixteen seconds since Miwa promised she would send a copy of a particular month's issue of Passion and Poise to the dwellings of the Asahina residence. It was not like it mattered , thought a basketball player as he fiddled with the ends of the lace tablecloth that was draped on the dining table by Ukyo . The raven-haired man sighed again for the umpteenth time . Subaru Asahina has successfully aroused the suspicion of all of his brothers , including the youngest , Wataru and that meant something , because of his sudden return to the ir apartment . It was not as if they were sad or disappointed , on the contrary , Tsubaki and a few others have gotten themselves drunk from the night of celebration . Back to the current scene , Subaru was being eyed by his brothers , whom did not include Natsume and Louis as they were not in their dwelling plus Ukyo was serving up their dinner at the moment and a certain crossdresser brother of theirs was not found in sight . Just as he was about to excuse himself to use the restroom , he heard a soft yawn coming from the patio . Footsteps travelled from the spacious patio down to the staircase and into their sitting room . His eyes were locked on the ruffled hair Ema that was currently rubbing her eyes slightly as she dragged herself into the kitchen , still in her bunny slippers .
"Ukyo-niiiiii..." , was the first thing they have heard from the brunette all day . It wasn't as if they were complaining but one had hoped to find the love of their life greeting them warmly . The whine was reciprocated by the man in spectacles that was wearing his usual apron for housework . " In here , Ema ." , he chuckled slightly at the state of his stepsister . Ema had taken full advantage of the day when the last paper for her finals of the year was taken . Many of the brothers recalled her saying she needed time to replenish her energy but not stating for how long . Her clumsy footing , indicating she was still half asleep , echoed around the kitchen as she stumbled back into the dining room where everyone has now given their full concentration to their beloved sister .
"Ah , my kawaii baka onee-chan has finally dragged her lazy behind out of bed ." , said a young idol that was smirking .
"Keep quiet , Futo . My Ema-chan is perfect the way she is ." , replied a white-haired voice actor .
Normally the brunette would either blush at their compliments or ask them to stop teasing her but she just made her way to her lawyer of a brother and clinged onto his arm . Okay , she was more than sleepy . This action made the second eldest brother jumped slightly , startled . "D-Daijobu , Ema ?" , he asked as he recovered from the shock while everyone else at the table were still gaping at their stepsister . He was not Masaomi but he placed a hand on his younger sister's forehead , checking for whether she was burning up . The blond then turned to the eldest brother saying , "She doesn't look like she has fever but something is definitely wrong ." . Nodding , Masaomi made his way to her . Taking a pen out which held a small flashlight on it , he shined it slowly and carefully into each of her eyes , making the brunette blink profusely before switching it off .
The pediatrician laughed slightly , earning a few confused looks from the table before he continued , "There is nothing wrong with Ema but I have discovered that Ema has a low tolerance for alcohol ." . Everyone was silent until Iori spoke up , "Does that mean she's still...drunk ?" , he asked , still overcoming his shock . "I'm afraid that's true , eventhough I only saw her consuming three glasses of white wine from Subaru's party ." , Masaomi replied as he slung the still-tipsy woman's arm over his shoulders . He then made his way to the empty seat next to Azusa and Kaname before sitting her on the chair .
"Onii-channnnnn..." , the still drunken woman cried out again as she gave Ukyo her signature cute pout .
"My , my , imouto-chan , you always manage to look ravishing even if you are acting like someone that is younger than Wataru ." , a voice as smooth as silk commented as the owner of the voice lean into his stepsister's face . "Ooi ! Get away from her , Kana-nii !" , a redhead yelled , being the first to react as he glared daggers straight into Kaname . With a shrug and slight chuckle , the monk took his seat again but was still admiring his sibling's beauty . Ema , on the other hand , well , you could say she had more pressing matters to attend to rather than being affected by her brother . "What is it , Ema ?" , a voice broke her out of her trance as she stared back up at the blond man . "Ukyo-nii , I have a slight problem and you are the only one that can give me reasonable advice ." , she jumped up from her seat before wobbling her way to her elder brother .
The man raises an eyebrow at her as she places a hand on his shoulder , trying to balance her own mass . "Go on ." , was all he replied before looking back at all the faces of his brothers . Tsubaki , Kaname and Futo held half-amused expressions while Asuza , Iori ,Yusuke and Masaomi were down right worried about her . That leaving Subaru who had his usual emotionless facade on while Wataru was blinking his eyes away in confusion . The brunette let a small hiccup escape her mouth before whispering , or at least trying to , even though she was failing miserably , "You see , Onii-chan , I cannot tell you unless you promise me you won't tell anyone in the whole wide world ." . Her words slurred a bit as she was swaying from side to side , as if she was in between dancing and witnessing behind the sidelines . The lawyer , deciding to entertain her child-like behaviour for once , nodded , "I promise ." .
"Cross your heart ?" , she asked .
"Cross my heart ." , Ukyo uses the thumb on his right hand to draw an imaginary cross over his heart .
"Or hope to die ?"
"Or hope to die ." , he repeated , trying to swallow the gulp that was forming in his throat .
"And stick a needle in your eye ?" , Ema's child-like voice now wavered slightly at the thought of sticking a needle into someone's eye .
Running out of patience from keeping up this act , he sighed deeply before replying , "Ema...do you want to tell me or not ?" . For someone who is more mature than most of his brothers , she sure is more childish than anyone he knows when she is drunk , oh , the irony . At this , she nodded her head vigorously , as if scared that her elder brother would change his mind on helping her with her problem . Ukyo raises his right hand and gestured in a 'Go on' sign . The rest of the brothers were now leaning slightly out of their seat , eager as to know what problem she was facing and hoping they were the ones that were able to help her and win at least , a upper hand in her affection . She looked down at her feet and started playing with her fingers , "E-Eto...I , uhh , I l-like someone , you know and not the friendly like . T-The like Papa and M-Miwa has ." . Everyone was silent , even Wataru that was playing fiddling with the utensils that were making clanking noises .
"NANI ?!" , all of the males present there , including Subaru and Iori yelled in surprise .
Who do you like ? Is he from Meiji ? How old is he ? Don't tell me it's that beach boy ! Is it me ? Is it one of us ? , all their questions were piling up one after the other and Ema's vision of the room was that of the things and her brothers swaying from side by side , going up and down . "Is there an earthquake ? W-Why is everyone moving everywhere at the same time ?" , she asked . Not needing any doctor to explain to him that she was feeling dizzy and was on the verge of collaping , he pulled her down to take a seat on Asuza's now vacant seat . Having the brothers going about frantic and asking each other whether it was them , the blond raised his voice for the first time , "Would everyone please keep quiet . Ema is not feeling too well and you all are making it worse ." . The room was pin drop silent .
"Ukyo-nii ." , she , this time manage to whisper and he whipped his head to her direction .
"What is it , Ema ? Do you need anything ?" , he asked before kneeling down in front of her as to stop her from straining her vision of looking up at him .
The brunette smiled before lowering her voice again and telling him the name of the man she was now head over heels in love with . His eyes widen .
~0oo0~
Seriously , what is the ruckus all about ? This package has not even been sighted by everyone and they are jumping around and making noises like gorillas in the South African zoo , thought a man with long brown hair that glistened in the light . He walked down the steps in his usual attire , usual meaning men attire . Being woken up in the morning by a certain white-haired brother throwing up loudly in the bathroom that was located just beside his room was not the alarm tone he had set . Sometimes I wonder whether they are just plain dumb or they are doing it on purpose , questioned the novelist in his mind as the scene unfolding in the dining room appeared to him . Tsubaki and Asuza were in a heated twin discussion on who knows what , the seriousness in their tones were promptly forgotten by the fact that they were finishing each other's sentences . Yusuke and Futo were arguing with each other on who has the better hair . While the younger of them had hair that was inhumanly shiny and silky , the older one posesses hair that was long and could be given hairsyles of any sort . Subaru and Iori were exchanging a few words , or more like a word . Ukyo , Masaomi and surprisingly Kaname were seated with worried and confused expression plastered on their face . But Ukyo looks flustered ? Hikaru smiled to himself as he told himself he could get a kick out of teasing him later and young Wataru was glancing every now and then from his brothers to his beloved elder sister . Who was unconscious . On a dining chair .
"What happened to imouto-chan ?" , Hikaru voiced out in his man tone , thankfully , as he stared at his sister worriedly .
"It is nothing to worry about , she is still tipsy from the intake of wine last night . I presume she will be having a severe hangover later ." , the doctor replied .
The light brunette nodded slowly in understanding before holding a rectangular shaped package wrapped in brown paper up , "I guess we will have to wait for Ema-chan to wake up to read this ." , a slight mischievous tone took over his usual bubbly voice . At that , Subaru immediately approached him , "I think it would be alright to have a peek in it ." , he mumbled . Not needing to say more , everyone made their way to the sitting room , leaving a sleeping Ema in peace .
~0oo0~
The cover of Passion and Poise was printed a full white with gold rings and doves decorating the sides of the page . Along the sides were also the highlights of this month's issue . A celebrity and his high school sweetheart shocking the world with their divorce . Simple and healthy tips to losing weight without doing much . Advice on how to overcome a small crush and beginning to look at every male as a man . But what caught their attention was a picture of their mother , Miwa Asahina , smiling , that was slightly bigger than the rest of the fonts and photos on the right side of the cover page . Then , smacked in the middle was a photo of a bride and groom . The groom was carrying the bride , well , in the traditional bridal style as he leaned his chin on the top of the bride's head . He was giving the camera one of those subtle and small yet meaning smile while she was grinning widely as she places her right hand over the back of his head .
Though there were a few growls coming from the readers and a slight blush adorning the face of the man who was the model for the groom , Hikaru flipped through the magazine to the six pages cover story . The first page of the cover story :
Do you ? Because we do ! As promised last week by our team of editors , this month's featured story is that of the world's current leading fashion designer , Miwa Asahina . Her background , her works and her inspiration .
After those headlines , a picture of their mother , dressed in a simple yet gorgeous beige dress came into the view .
Some were born with greatness but there are some that strived to achieve greatness . Being the only child of a single parent who worked in processing spare parts for the country's leading vehicle company , Gudatan's Motors and Company , Miwa struggled through her whole life . Being born from a family with a less fortunate background , she started schooling only at the age of 8 , not being able to even attend kindergarten . This is the story of a woman who was given nothing , who was looked down upon because of her lacking in earthly goods , whom from that nothingness gave something to the world . Now , a proud mother of 13 sons and one stepdaughter , she proved to the world that just because you were born unlucky , does not mean you can't change your luck around .
Tsubaki impatiently flipped to the next page where Miwa's background was being told and her chronology unfolded . It continued with how she had gotten interested in fashion design , following with her being a successful fashion and designer and mother . On the fourth page was now an interview Ema had with a soon-to-be journalist , Henry Galman .
Are you having second thoughts about your wedding because you just cannot find the right dress ? Look now further as Miwa Asahina's works will remind you again how you met your beloved one and ensure you to say Yes to the dress . The model who was lucky enough to be given this opportunity was none other than the great fashion designer's own stepdaughter , Ema Hinata . I , Henry Galman , had a stroke of luck when I ran into this lovely woman , literally , as we were about to start the photoshoot .
This starts with Miss Hinata having a slight mishap and tripping over , but luckily I was just in time to catch her .
H.G : Are you alright , Miss Hinata ?
Ema : Yes , thank you for saving me . * giggles *
H.G : * raises an eyebrow * Is something funny ?
Ema : W-Well , don't be angry at me when I say this but... * stutters * Y-You see , I'm not saying you look like a geek or anything but with those glasses and camera plus you saving me , you reminded me of Peter Parker .
H.G. : * chuckles * Oh no , I am actually flattered , no one has ever told me I resembled Spiderman , it's quite nice actually .
Ema : * holds hand out to shake hand * Ema Hinata but I guess you already know who I am and what I am doing here .
H.G. : * shakes hand * It is indeed a pleasure to be of acquaintance . I am Henry Galman , please call me Henry.
Ema : The pleasure is all mine and please call me Ema .
H.G. : Miss-I mean Ema , would you mind if I asked you a few questions before your photoshoot and video taking ?
Ema : * shakes head *
H.G. : * smiles * Thank you so much , first , I would like to ask , what are your thoughts on the dress you are wearing currently ?
Ema : Well , the dress is gorgeous . I would have to say Miwa did an amazing job on it . This dress is not only a looker but it is very comfortable , unlike mostof the wedding dressed many people describe .
The journalist's questions continued to Miwa's collection and what would be expected of her next move . It was all drabble until all the brothers reached the end of the interview .
H.G. : Oh , that is a very good insight . Now , moving on to the next question , what is the nature of your relationship with Mister Subaru exactly ?
Ema : * stuttered * W-What ? He is my stepbrother , that is all but I do take him as my own brother , nothing more .
H.G. : Okay , so I think everyone is dying to know . Do you have a special someone ? And if so , please tell us about him .
Ema : U-Uh , w-well... * looks at floor * The answer is yes , I do have someone I hold very dearly but he doesn't know I do . * hesitant * Y-You see , he is a very kind and caring person . He may be cold at times but that is very rare . He is always warm and when he smiles , I can swear that you could almost feel the warmness from him hugging you too .
H.G. : Is it one of the brothers ?
Ema : * nods dreamily * . * snaps out of dream * W-What ? N-No , I mean that's not p-possible , I-I mean we're s-siblings , family , r-right ?
H.G. : * smiles * I see . Anyways , Ema , I must not hold you back too long even though I wanted to ask you more questions . At this rate , you won't be able to go for the photoshoot . So , thank you .
Ema : Y-Your welcome .
No words were spoken as the magazine was flipped close by Hikaru . Predicting there would be groups of discussion and arguments , he prepared himself mentally , thinking of where to hide and how to bring Ema along so that she would not be woken up . But nothing came . There was only one thought in each of their mind , including Masaomi , with the exception of Ukyo who does not seem surprised .
~0oo0~
When everyone finds out who this brother is , everyone and everything would go haywire . Especially at the fact that before Ema was enrolled in Meiji University , he never once pursued her heart . Okay , maybe once , when he gave her an iris .
KYAAAA! So , the man Ema is in love with is revealed ! Will they get together or will they- Heck , all this romance stories , the main characters would definitely get together XD But not without a few conflicts , of course . I thank everyone who had read , reviewed , favorited and followed this little fanfiction of mine ! :3
.P.S. Love=Reviews
-The Fandom Otaku-kun