Ema Hinata watches the scene unfolding in front of her eyes with no small amount of surprise.
Her sister, her preppy and ever-so-caring older sister, is currently holding an animated discussion with one of their new brothers, eyes sparkling and fingers brushing against her lips to hide her snickers. Kaname's jaw rests on his hand, smirk just a bit mischievous - a trait he shares with the likes of some of his brothers, namely the (demon) twins.
Now, Hana-nee looking so bubbly, so radiantly happy isn't a rare sight per se, especially not for Ema's eyes. The curly-haired girl is a generally friendly and spunky young woman who is not particularly hard to please.
No, seeing her sister having fun this way isn't such a weird thing to witness, what takes Ema by surprise is the person who seems to have pulled such a reaction out of her effortlessly.
Of course, it's not that Kaname Asahina is unlovable or unkind by any means, and he is a part of their new family so Ema is more than glad that he and Hanako are getting along so well.
It's just that...well, Kaname can be a bit of a flirt at times, maybe more than a bit.
The monk is the type to tease mercilessly those around him, he throws pickup lines on every occasion he gets, and Ema would have thought the man's overwhelming personality would have annoyed Hanako, who was not in any way open to such bold advances, shallow as they might seem.
Yet there the oldest Hinata sister is, babbling on about a detective novel she'd think Kaname would like - Ema still isn't sure she believes that the man is the avid reader like he claims he is, discussing how their days, and in sum, genuinely having a good time.
It's a bit too similar to how Hanako usually acts with Ema, too similar to the domestic talk she subjects her younger sister to every day after school - the high schooler would be ready to bet her sister had picked up the habit from those ridiculous parenting books she had read a while back, when she had fully comprehended that her family did not fit the mold society tried to project.
Something about how Ema needed a good role model that is not on the other side of the Earth and to reduce her video game hours, as if there was such a thing as too much video game time.
Anyways, here Ema has to stop herself from getting sidetracked and instead narrows her coffee-toned eyes on Kaname who seems to enjoy Hanako's attention a bit too much for her taste, and really, it's no wonder that she cannot help but think something along the lines of, he should be thankful Juli isn't here.
Which is a bit problematic, because she definitely should not be wishing for her beloved, but troublesome pet squirrel to be here.
Not only because this is a beautiful, mildly pricey restaurant, but also because she's quite sure Kaname would not come out of it unscathed.
Although Ema almost changes her stance on that second half, solely out of spite, when Hanako goes to say something to her sister, only to have her attention stolen away when the only man at their table casually steals a bite out of the girl's meal.
"Hey, hands off!" despite her words and falsely offended tone, Rintarou's eldest is completely unbothered by it, in response stealing single cannelloni from Kaname's plate.
Ema's nose wrinkles slightly, "What were you saying Hana-nee?"
"Sorry sweetie," Hanako smiles, eyes twinkling with mirth, even when she narrows them playfully, "I was going to ask if you needed me to buy you some new uniforms? Aren't yours getting a bit old?"
"They still fit," the teenage girl shrugs, thinking of the Hinode High sweater that she practically lived in, purposely a size too big, "Maybe a jacket would be nice, I never managed to clean the stain out of the one I was wearing for Maho-chan's birthday party."
"On it," Hanako nods, "We'll get you some new shoes next time we go shopping too, you can't live in sneakers and school-mandated ones forever."
"I still have the white flats from my birthday," Ema says, eyes much brighter than they were minutes ago as she thinks of the pair of shoes that were rather worn out after a bit more than two years, they had been part of Hanako's present to her sister for the girl's first day of High school, paired with the newest Zombie hazard from that year.
"The ones who almost have no soles left?" Hanako's brows disappear somewhere along her hairline.
As children, they went shoe shopping at least once every year and a half, a habit that Ema left behind in favor of putting her school's mandated shoes even on the weekends or borrowing some from her sister who wore shoes only half a size bigger than hers, and had enough pairs to fill a whole closet.
"I think Yuu-chan outgrew some of his uniforms, but he hasn't ordered anything yet, I could ask Masa-nii to add anything you want to his order imouto-chan," Kaname's lips quirk upwards, he doubts Ema notices how tight her smile is when she looks at him and not her sister, what a cute jealous face she has.
Hanako hums then, brows furrowing slightly in thought, "If you don't mind, that way we can split the shipping fee."
Kaname shakes his head, sighing, "Now, now, that's cruel Hana-chan. You don't actually think we'd make you and Ema-chan pay for school clothes, mom would raise hell on us if we ever tried something like that."
Money is not something the Hinata sisters have grown without, but there is a deeply unsettling feeling of unease that stirs in Hanako's chest - a roof over their heads, some warm meals, now clothes and a free haircut, what else will she have to rely on them for?
Old habits, old conceptions are never easy to let go of after all.
It's ridiculous, she tells herself to quell her sudden unease, it's not like he offered anything that's not a necessity. There's nothing weird about thisé.
"Thank you," Ema says when her sister does not answer, eyes unfocused, "We appreciate it. So, Maho-chan just called me earlier - she can come this Saturday, do you think we could go pick her up?"
"Of course," Hanako says immediately, worries now left in the depths of her mind, "We'll stop by the grocery store close to her place, they always got the best sales on snacks."
As the conversation steers to their plans for the next day, Ema's shoulders relax and her lips twitch upward.
By the end of the evening, there's a flush of alcohol to Hanako's cheeks.
Kaname had insisted on driving back since she had driven to the restaurant, and she had barely thought about passing him her car keys and indulging in a few drinks. When they get back to Sunrise residence, she's in such a positive mood that she lets Tsubaki greet her with a hug without complaining when they get to the living room, insisting she and Ema sit on each side of him.
"Man, it's not fair Kana-nii had you both to yourselves all night, dinner was so much less interesting without our cute little sisters!" the voice actor whines, pouting.
Azusa almost intervenes and tell Tsubaki to let go of the Hinata sisters, letting things go when Ema politely shuffles away on the couch closer to Masaomi and Hanako beams at them all, unbothered by the arm wrapped around her.
Almost everyone is gathered on the couch set, talking between them as some animated show chosen by Wataru, who had just gone up to sleep, plays in the background. "But I had so much fun!" she argues, feeling giddy for no good reason, "The food was really good, right Em?"
"Right," the younger girl sweatdrops, wondering if letting Hanako have that last drink before they left was a good idea, "The dessert had to be the best part though."
Hanako nods at the absentminded comment, pulling a very serious face, "I could eat that gelato every day and not get tired of the taste," Azusa eyes the girl squeezed between him and Tsubaki, equal parts amused and worried, "I swear it."
Masaomi observes the slightly inhibited girl from the corner of his eye, sharing a look with Ukyo who then turns to Kaname with something awfully close to a glare. "I'm glad you both had fun," the lawyer says, "All of us should try the place sometimes."
"Definitely!" Hanako agrees, "They do deliveries too if you ever want a break from all the cooking."
Ukyo contemplates the idea, remembering it had been a while since they'd eaten something not homemade. Hanako startles when a weight lands on her thighs, blinking down to catch sight of Juli who had made his way from Ema's shoulders to Tsubaki's lap, claws digging harshly into his jeans-covered skin, and now to her own, "Nana! Get a grip, that wolf is getting all handsy with you again and-"
"Juli!" she grabs the squirrel who squeaks at the sudden motion, finding himself squeezed between the girl's arms, "Oh I forget how cute you can be when you're screeching like that, you still need to be nicer though," she misses Louis' sharp amusement as Juli screams bloody murder.
"Cute?" Tsubaki's nose wrinkles, "You sure about that?"
"Stay away from her, you beast!" Juli is unable to get out of the embrace, hissing at the voice actor with a fervor that the Asahina brothers had become used to.
"Great," Azusa says, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice, "Now you've made it mad at us again."
Hanako shakes her head, scratching the squirrel's chin to appease him, "Ignore him, he's just moody."
Ema eyes the scene with something like resignation, and quite a bit of pity for her captive squirrel friend, "Maybe you should go up Hana-nee, Mayu-san wants us to be there for eleven tomorrow morning."
"It's still just nine o'clock!" the girl argues, unconsciously leaning against Tsubaki who still has his arm thrown loosely around her shoulders, on the back of the couch behind her, "I swear that girl takes movie marathons way too seriously."
"A movie marathon?" Azusa hums, the term falling from his lips smoothly, "That's nice."
"It is," Hanako snorts softly, "They'd be even more fun if Mayu didn't insist we have one at least once a month, with threats of bodily harm if we don't comply," oh who is she kidding, her best friend's murder streak is one of her favorite things about Mayu.
Juli eventually calms down, relenting to only glower up at Tsubaki with his most deadly stare.
"She sounds like a riot, this friend of yours," Tsubaki comments, lips quirked up at the sight of the slightly inhibited girl's delight, watching her eyes soften at the backhanded compliment.
There are so many things she could say, like how Mayu has a wicked sense of humor, that her loyalty isn't easily given, but that when you have it, you had it for good, that she and Kana had been there for Hanako through her worst moments, armed with a tub of ice cream and a set of the three first seasons of Friends.
She keeps all those things hidden behind her teeth, and breathes out, "Yeah, she's the best." The nice thing with large groups, is that there is no such thing as awkward silence.
Bits and pieces of different conversations fill the room, subjects ranging from Yuusuke's struggle in history, to the twins' latest works, which Tsubaki explains in great detail to the two sisters, with Azusa offering his own input once in a while, content with letting his brother babble on and on.
It's lively, but not as much as it is during the day, and when Iori and Louis both announce that they'll go off to sleep early, Hanako wisely decides to follow Ema's earlier advice and does the same.
Her previous, alcohol-induced restlessness had shifted into a lazy sort of delight as the evening had progressed, leaving her boneless on the couch.
She almost asks if Ema wants to come with them, pearly white teeth peeking out from between her lip gloss-covered lips when she finds her sister happily discussing video games with a flustered Subaru and Yuusuke.
"Goodnight everyone," she peels herself away from the couch, footsteps light and clumsy as she stops by Ema's side to kiss the girl's forehead, "Don't stay up too late."
"Don't we get a goodnight kiss too?" Tsubaki pouts, arm still spread on the back of the couch where she had previously been leaning on. She almost complies, if only to shut the boisterous boy up.
"Next time I'll even tuck you in," she says instead before Azusa can chastise his twin, cackling at the dumbstruck look that takes over Tsubaki's features. The dark-haired twin and Ukyo sigh at the same time, wishing her a good night's sleep.
Kaname surprises her by joining them, purposely letting her walk the stairs before him when he notices her slightly unsteady footing.
"Easy there Hana-chan," she's not so far gone as to need him to help her the rest of the way up, fingers wrapped around the forearm farthest away from him, his arm only a hair away from her back as a failsafe if she ever were to tip backward.
She lets him do so anyway, for the sake of dying chivalry alone, "Thanks."
Iori waits for them on the top part of the loft and sends his brother a glance, something unreadable unfolding on his too-perfect features, before his face closes off altogether. Hanako does not notice, but Kaname does, mouth almost opening to say something to his brother, ultimately, he does not.
"Your hair looks nice," Iori turns to her as they wait for the elevator, a reserved, but charming tilt of his lips accompanying the compliment. Hanako beams, twirling a strand of glossy, curly hair between her thumb and forefinger, "Louis did a good job."
"Right? I love it, it's so light now," the hair that used to reach her hips had been chopped to a bit below her collarbones. The well-deserved cut had gotten rid of dry ends and gave the hair a healthy glow which only enhanced the curls which Louis had tamed with some product that still smelled like coconut, even almost twelve hours later.
Her favorite part still has to be the face-framing layers she had let Louis talk her into, tickling her jaw and subtly adding fluidity to her already textured hair. Hanako beams at Iori and Louis who is right behind the younger boy, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.
The hairdresser gives his brother a slow, gentle look, as he presses the elevator's button, the four of them patiently waiting for it, "Thanks Iori, Nana-chan does look pretty, doesn't she?"
Before either Iori or Kaname can say anything to answer the statement, the girl giggles airily, brushing the compliment aside.
The nickname used by Louis doesn't set her on edge anymore, even if she's still quite set on asking him about that, if she ever gets the guts to do so, which she won't, because she's a coward, "Thank you again for this, you're an amazing hairstylist."
Still, a bit bummed that the boy refused to let her pay, she had resolved to cook his favorite meals often this week - fried rice and zaru soba as she had learned from a slightly exasperated, but increasingly fond Ukyo - the man would be used to her antics soon enough, she swears it.
"Didn't you say that earlier?" Louis's nose scrunches up as they enter the brightly lit elevator, a yawn leaving him.
"Hush now," Hanako waves off with a grin that is too much teeth, tucking a short curl behind her ear, "Let me compliment your work in peace."
When she does not get out of the elevator with Louis and Kaname when they reach the fourth floor, she offers a slightly ditzy grin, "I was thinking of going out to get some air, good night you two."
The two share a glance, ultimately shrugging and wishing her a good night's sleep through the space between closing doors, and she turns to Iori, "So, what's the next step?"
The high schooler blinks, hazel eyes both lost and curious, "I'm not sure I follow."
"Well, I did survive the week, didn't I?" she's not so surprised when Iori follows her down to the first floor, instead of going out at the third floor where his room is. She lets out a relieved breath when she opens the glass door leading to the outside world, the sudden change in temperature making her shiver pleasantly.
Iori snorts at her nonsensical question, "Right, I did say that," he watches as the girl drops onto the half wall made of masonry that surrounds the sakura tree in the center of the residence's courtyard.
"You know, this place is starting to feel like home," not just a place to stay in, but an actual home, "It's a bit scary."
Home, for Hanako, had never been a physical place, rather home had been her sister, her dad whenever he was in Japan, Kana, and Mayu, but never a place, not like how Sunrise residence is slowly starting to feel like.
She had never found her and Ema's old apartment lacking, but it certainly lacked the warmth this place had.
Iori considers her words carefully, "Change is always a bit scary, but I think I speak for everyone here when I say we're glad you're comfortable here." Hanako wonders why she's even telling the boy this, maybe because she knows he's the least likely to take offense to her reluctance about moving in.
"I am, and so is Ema," she assures, fiddling with the hem of her denim jacket's sleeve, moving a bit over for the boy to sit next to her, "That's what gets on my nerves, I feel like I'm too comfortable, too used to this place already."
Sometimes, she'll get moments of surprise, where she will be unaccustomed to making dinner at three, instead of alone or with only Ema's company, where she'll be unused to Wataru's boundless affection or Tsubaki's bear hugs instead of Ema's soft affections.
But those moments are far in between, and she has settled easily into life with their new brothers and Sunrise residence.
Hinata Hanako had never been good at change, content with staying forever stagnant in a constantly shifting world.
A slow laugh crawls out of her throat, chin tilting up for her to get a glimpse at the few stars that manage to shine in-between the shadow of clouds, "And now I'm blabbing nonsense again...sorry."
"Don't be," Iori says simply, and if his dry tone might have given her the impression that the boy was uninterested, she's quite certain that is his default mode - along with the princely charm that he uses to keep everyone at a safe distance. "I don't think anything you just said was nonsense, and besides, I'm surprised you two have been taking this so well. I've been told thirteen brothers are a bit overwhelming."
The joke has the crease between her brows smoothing over, "Just a bit."
Silence falls over them, Hanako's eyes still firmly stuck on the half-starless sky above them, "The view here isn't so bad, even if we're in Tokyo," she breathes out after a few minutes.
"Maybe those few drinks from earlier are making you see things," she chortles at the sardonic words from the hazel-eyed boy, suddenly much more lighthearted.
Iori's sense of humor still surprises her, whenever it crawls out from the cracks of his golden-boy façade and she catches glimpse of a, dare she say, proud smile at having made her laugh when her gaze drifts down, "Well okay then smarty pants if the sky is not to your liking, why don't you tell me what's worth looking at around here?"
He looks back steadily, lips curving ever so slightly, "I'll tell you some other time."