Ginei Morioka prided himself on being cool and level-headed. While the rest of the Newspaper Club were prone to panicking and flailing when turmoil struck, Gin was meant to be the calm in the storm, the one the others held onto to keep themselves steady. After all, that was his duty as a man. That's what his father had taught him, anyway.
But how the hell was Gin supposed to react when the man himself announced that he would be visiting?! Gin ran his eyes over the letter again and again, but the words refused to change.
Meishu Morioka due to arrive by bus at 9AM, Academy time.
He only had a few hours to prepare! His room was a mess, he wasn't top dog of the school, his grades were abysmal, and he had yet to secure a mate-
Gin's head popped up from where it had been hanging in despair. That's it! If his old man met Harry and the girls, he'd definitely see why Gin's main priority had been them instead of his schoolwork! Plus, he'd fought enough of the school with the Newspaper Club to have earned him at least a high-ranking spot amongst the students. All he'd have to do was convince his dad that he was well on his way to securing several powerful mates… but that would include getting everyone to agree to help him.
Gin sighed. He was going to have a lot of work cut out for him if he wanted this to work by 9.
"No."
"Please."
"Not a chance."
"C'mon, Kurumu, pleeeeease," Gin cajoled, blinking big, watery puppy dog eyes up at the succubus from where he knelt on the ground in front of her.
"No. I've got my own batshit crazy mother to deal with. Why would you even ask me anyway? Why not Harry or one of the others?"
"That's the thing, though. I gotta ask you, Harry, and all of the others before 9 or my dad's gonna skin me for not being the number one alpha male in school with a whole harem full of prospective mates."
"Dude, seriously? In a school with scary people like Harry, Moka-san, and all the upperclassmen? Talk about crazy high expectations."
"Yeah, I know, so can you please help me out? Just for one day? Pleeeeeeease? I'm sure if my dad saw that you and the others were in my harem, he wouldn't even be mad at me for not being top dog. I mean, you're so beautiful, and powerful, and have I mentioned that your fangs look especially sharp today?" Gin wheedled.
"Ugh, fine." Gin cheered, leaping up from his knees to pump a fist in the air. "But only if you agree to do a bikini shoot with me for my section of the paper and pretend to be part of my harem in front of my mom."
"Deal!"
The two shook on it firmly before going their separate ways.
The others were not much easier.
Mizore slammed the door in his face until he promised her a pair of noise-canceling headphones and a similar harem-type agreement in front of her parents.
Moka agreed pretty quickly because she was an angel, but Gin offered her a sip of his blood because he felt bad accepting her help for free.
Yukari was left out for obvious reasons, but Gin still asked if she would like to be something like their platonic packmate, and she swiftly agreed, eager to be included in what was sure to be a hilarious series of hijinks.
Then, finally, it came time to ask Harry himself. Gin knocked on Harry's door and heard a soft "come in" from inside. Harry was brewing some sort of potion and he briefly glanced up from the cauldron to see that it was Gin before getting re-entranced by whatever he was doing.
Gin took a seat on the end of his bed, feeling his muscles relax at the smell of Harry and the others, left over from their last group hang out in his room. He allowed the sound of Harry's brewing and the soothing scents to lull him into a state of calm until Harry finished up whatever he was doing and came to sit down beside him.
Gin leaned bodily against the smaller wizard, content to relax after a morning full of running about to prepare for his father's arrival. The thought of the man made Gin tense up again only for Harry to run his small fingers through his hair and guide Gin's head onto his shoulder. The wolf wrapped his arms around the wizard, careful to keep his touch innocent as he allowed the tension to leak out of him once more.
A small knock at the door heralded the arrival of the others, and Gin braced for some form of protest at him being alone with Harry all this time, but he was met only with soft foot-steps making their way towards the bed and settling on either side of him and Harry.
When all of them were fully settled on the bed with the whole group thoroughly wrapped around both Harry and himself in some way, Harry spoke. "What's got you all shaken up, Gin?"
Gin sighed, sinking even further into the wizard's touch. "Kurumu?"
"Our parents are coming to visit today, and daddy wolf's got some seriously high expectations."
"Such as?" Harry queried, glancing down at the wolf in his lap.
"A harem, crazy good grades, ruling over the whole school with an iron fist, you name it." Gin pouted, shuffling his head under Harry's hand to encourage him to keep petting.
"I see... And I'm guessing, since everyone's here together, not fighting, that you've all agreed and made similar deals to appease your own parents?"
They all nodded.
"And I'm guessing you're also here to ask me to join in as well?"
More nodding.
"Well, I suppose if it's that important, I'll do it."
Ding Ding Ding
The group jumped at the sound of the school bell. 9 o'clock.
Everyone scrambled off of Harry's bed and raced toward the front gates. This was going to be a mess.
"Kurumuuu~!"
"Mizore, darling."
"Gin, my boy! It's been too long!"
"Mom, Dad!"
Moka and Harry hung back while the others greeted their parents. All of them seemed normal enough so far.
Yukari's parents were a pair of eastern witches who greeted their daughter with kind smiles and hugs, conversing in JSL and nods instead of spoken language.
Mizore's mother gave off an aura of nobility, prim and proper, back straight, gaze cold. The small smile that she allowed for her daughter, though, was almost sweet.
Kurumu's mother was a mature beauty with very large assets which she highlighted with her outfit, every seam meant to show off just a little more. She embraced her daughter tightly, somehow managing to avoid suffocating the smaller girl in her breasts. The woman cooed at her daughter, demanding to know every detail of her school life and, more importantly, her love life.
Gin's father struck an imposing figure. He was tall and broad with a voice deep like thunder, but he also had a large grin and a hearty laugh. He pulled Gin into a tight embrace and patted his back before letting him go.
Once the initial greetings were done, Gin was the first to pull his father towards the others. "So, these are my pup's future mates, huh? Good variety here, kiddo!" Gin's father sniffed the air. "A succubus, a yuki onna, two witches, and… a vampire? Son, you've already gone and managed to woo a vampire? Ha! Great job!" Gin's father swatted Gin on the back, sending the younger wolf stumbling forward with the force of the impact.
"Ha ha, yup. Thanks, Pops," Gin wheezed.
"Well, no need to be shy, go on and introduce me."
Gin sighed, glad that he wasn't yet found out. "Alright, well, this is Harry, and Moka. Over there with their parents are Mizore, Kurumu, and Yukari. Yukari is our platonic packmate. Oh, look, here they come!"
Gin's father didn't hear the slight rise in Gin's voice, thankfully. Harry put a steadying hand on his shoulder, and Moka linked their arms by the elbow. Gin relaxed a bit, muttering a quiet "thank you" to the two and squared his shoulders. He just had to get through the school day, and his dad would be back on the bus with a glowing review to give to the rest of the pack.
"Yes, here they are, Mom! This is my harem. Of course the rest of the school is wildly in love with me too, but my main circle is all right here!" Kurumu gushed as she led her mother to the group.
"Oh, would you look at that? Such virile young men. Good job, Mizore," The icy beauty commented.
"Tsurara?!"
"Ageha?!"
"Ladies?"
"Meishu?!"
Mizore was desperately missing the days when she would skip all of her classes. Math was a trying affair, even more so than usual. It was like a nightmare, an unholy mixture of her mother and trigonometry, and all of her friends were there to witness it. Mizore sank lower into her seat as the teacher looked around for someone to answer whatever question she'd just asked.
Her eyes scanned the room, coming ever so close to Mizore's position. Mizore held her breath. She could feel her mother's piercing gaze on her back. If she was called on, she'd have to answer the question in front of her mom. Mizore shivered. Ririko-sensei's gaze landed on her. Mizore gulped. She begged with her eyes. Anyone but her.
A hand shot up next to her. Mizore's eyes widened as she met the eyes of her savior. Kurumu gave her a shaky smile. Ririko-sensei called on her, and she read her answer for the class. True to form, her answer was wrong, but that didn't matter to Mizore.
As their mothers bickered loudly in the background, Mizore leaned in and asked, "Why'd you raise your hand if you didn't have the answer? You know your mom is going to kill you."
"I knew you were as scared as I was. Besides, my mom knows I'm no good at math."
The two glanced back at where their moms were seconds from going at each others' throats and groaned. At least they weren't like that. Not anymore, never again.
Every class after that was a tragically similar affair, but thankfully, Yukari, Moka and Harry agreed to distract the teachers ahead of time so Kurumu, Gin, and Mizore could continue to fly under the radar. By mid-afternoon, everything had calmed down enough that the group finally dared to hope that their little ruse would let them off without a hitch.
How foolish of them.
"Gin-kun, Harry-kun. I'd like to invite you to dinner with my daughter and I," Tsurara and Ageha declared in unison after the last class of the day had finally let out. The two glared venomously at each other.
"I'm terribly sorry, Ageha, but the boys have already agreed to have dinner with us," Tsurara said, her polite expression belied by her stormy eyes.
"I'm afraid your memory must be failing in your old age, Tsurara. I made plans with my daughter's mates just this morning. You must have them confused with some other members of my daughter's expansive love net." Ageha smirked viciously at the other woman.
"Ladies, ladies. I'm sure my son would be delighted to have all of his mates with him this evening. It's important to get to know the in-laws early," Meishu announced in his loud, boisterous voice.
"Uh, yeah, of course! Thank you for your invitations, ladies," Gin said, sending wide-eyed looks at both Kurumu and Mizore as he led the whole group to the dining hall.
Gin sat stiffly in between the two older women with all of his friends sitting across the canyon that was their staticky feud. His father was no help at all, choosing to sit with his other friends rather than get in between the two. Their daughters weren't much help either.
"So, it seems our daughters are both part of the same harem, Tsurara." Ageha hissed the name like a curse.
"Yes, so it would seem. Of course your daughter would cling to my daughter's man. The apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, does it?"
"Uh, Mom, we're all equal partners-"
"Quiet, Mizore."
Mizore ducked her head and went back to awkwardly playing with her dinner.
"Please, Kurumu is obviously the top consort. She's already got the whole school wrapped around her finger. Besides, everyone knows the main girl is the one who bears a child first, and neither of them are pregnant yet, so victory goes to the hottest. Your little icicle child is completely outmatched."
"P-pregnant?! Mom, I never said-"
"Hush, dear. The grown-ups are talking."
"As if your daughter could give him enough children to satisfy him. Succubi are notoriously infertile. He'll need a real woman like my daughter to give birth to a proper pack of children."
The group shared wide-eyed looks under their parents' arguing. Children? This might be going a bit too far.
"Yes, you're absolutely right, ladies! Gin, don't hold back! You've got to get these beauties knocked up! Secure the next generation!"
"Dad wha- I-"
"Yes, Gin, please be sure to put a bun in the oven quickly." Tsurara placed an icy hand on Gin's shoulder, tugging him toward her and Mizore.
"Not a chance, abominable. He's ours!" Ageha pulled on Gin's other arm.
Gin glanced wildly between his friends, his father and the two women. He gulped. "Ladies, look, I-"
"SHUT UP, MEISHU!" the women roared.
The cafeteria went quiet. Ageha and Tsurara froze.
"Gin," a small voice spoke. The group turned to the one who had spoken. Mizore met their eyes with a nervous but resolute look. "His name is Gin, and our names are Kurumu and Mizore, not Ageha and Tsurara."
"W- We are well aware-"
"Are you? Really?" Kurumu piped up, her voice not wavering in the slightest despite the death grip she held on her chopsticks. "Because it feels like the entire time you've been here, you've been using us as an excuse to fight each other all day!"
"And based on what you called Gin, I'm guessing it's got a lot to do with a certain werewolf," Harry said, side-eyeing Meishu, who continued to munch on a bag of popcorn as the scene played out.
Gin raised an eyebrow at the blasé shrug his father gave in response."Dad?"
"What? You know I'm a ladies man. These two have been fighting over me since I was your age. Looks like you take after your old man," Meishu laughed, throwing some more popcorn into his mouth.
"Gin, how many moms do you have?" Yukari asked out of the blue.
"What- one? Why do you ask?" Gin replied.
"Just wondering how come you, Kurumu, and Mizore aren't siblings, since your dad wanted you to have a harem so bad. Kurono-san and Shirayuki-san certainly seem like they were willing." Yukari noted calmly.
Meishu tensed slightly.
Gin furrowed his brow. That… was a bit weird. "I dunno. Dad?"
Meishu shrugged, avoiding his son's eyes. "What can I say, Kid? There's only so much of me to go around."
Tsurara narrowed her eyes at the woman across from her. "I, for one, would've made a lovely mate had this one not gotten in the way."
"Oh, please! I've always been the better match. Why would he have wanted you when he could've had all this!"
"No, wait. Mom, why wouldn't he have taken you for a mate? Why not both of you?" Kurumu asked, her eyes furrowed in confusion.
"Not that I'm not glad we aren't related, but that was definitely an option," Mizore added.
Gin pursed his lip in thought. "Yeah, that makes no sense unless-"
"Unless what, Kid?" Meishu cut in sharply.
Gin bent his neck in submission unconsciously. He hadn't heard that tone in a long time, not since Mom left.
Yukari continued her observations with no heed to the enraged adult wolf sitting mere feet away from her. "Unless Morioka-san was unable to take more than one mate."
Meishu growled deep in his throat and slammed a clawed hand down on the table. "You have no idea what you're talking about, girl."
"But that's not possible… Meishu is a werewolf. There's no way…" Ageha stared disbelievingly at Meishu.
Gin watched as his father's expression became thunderous. It couldn't be true, could it? But then, why else would he be reacting like this?
"I'm sorry, but you may have to fill me in here. What's going on exactly?" Harry asked.
Moka's response was almost a whisper. "The amount of mates a yokai can have is directly proportional to their strength. For an S-class wolf like Morioka-san to be unable to take on more than one mate…"
A ferocious roar echoed from across the table as Meishu transformed and threw himself at Moka before anyone could even react. His clawed hand shot toward her face like a bullet before a brown blur tackled him away from the vampire.
Meishu struck out with his claws, almost catching the side of a jaw before he was slammed to the ground. A loud growl came from the monster on top of him, loud enough to shock him still. And in the second of stillness, he caught sight of who it was that had torn him away from his vengeance.
"Gin…" The proud wolf looked away, refusing to meet his son's eyes. "Even you can beat me now. It's true."
Gin frowned at the state of his father. "What's going on? How could you be- I mean, how- Just, tell me what happened alright?" Gin got off of the man, not holding out a hand to help him up. He knew his father wouldn't appreciate it.
Meishu got up and settled himself down on the closest chair that hadn't been bowled over by their spat. "Kid, I- I've been sick for a long time, okay?" he sighed. Meishu ran a hand over his hair as his shoulders sagged. He looked tired. "Even before I came to Yokai Academy. The healers in our pack told me I should've been born dead, that the fact I'm even still alive is a miracle. When I got here… nobody knew that. They knew I was a werewolf, an S-class monster, and that was that. The girls chased after me, and the guys were too scared to fuck with me, and I reveled in finally being top dog after so many years of being the runt.
Ageha and Tsurara, heh, they were smokin' hot, and they fought over me every day, but I could never mate them. They were real, proper yokai women with real power. The mating alone probably woulda killed me. So, I let them hang around, let them fight over me and boost up my ego while I searched for a woman I could actually handle. Your mother, Kid, she was amazing. Still too good for me, but she was a teke teke, a D-class. Perfect for an S-class runt, or so I thought before she finally clued into how pathetic I really was and ran for the hills.
But hey, at least I had you. Strongest pup of your generation. Everything a werewolf should be and better than his weak old man. Imagine my surprise when I find you exactly where I wish I was at your age. You've got a whole harem, and you're strong enough that you can mate them all. Hell, when your Grandpa finally kicks the bucket, you're probably next in line if what the elders are saying is true." Meishu took a fortifying breath. "You know, when I showed up this morning, I half hoped you'd turn out to be a loser like me. At least that way I'd have some company at the bottom." Meishu let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Dad, I-" Gin looked up, finding Kurumu and Mizore and the others suddenly a lot closer than they were. When he met their eyes, the girls looked back at their mothers before nodding. Gin sighed in relief. "You're not totally alone at the bottom. I'm not actually dating any of these guys. They're not my harem. They're members of the Newspaper Club with me. If anybody's "top dog" here, it's probably Harry, considering we're all actually pining after him," Gin admitted with a grimace.
Meishu finally looked up at that. "Him? As in-" Meishu blinked disbelievingly at the scrawny wizard surrounded by gorgeous, powerful, female monsters. Meishu looked back at his son who was eying him nervously and laughed almost hysterically. "I, uh, okay. Okay. I- don't know how I feel about that, but, uh, okay." Meishu shut his mouth with an audible click as he looked back and forth between the two once more.
"Wait, so… Meishu never picked one of us because…" Ageha started, looking entirely lost.
"... he wasn't strong enough for either of us." Tsurara finished, staring off into space.
"We're not really a harem, Mom," Mizore said quietly.
"I haven't actually seduced the whole school like I told you. I'm really kinda trying my best to win over Harry-kun right now."
"Well, I don't really have anything to confess to you guys," Yukari started, giving her parents a quick hug before turning to face the group. "but I feel like all of you adults should know that your kids might not be whatever you expected when you got here this morning, but they're my best friends, and if you have a problem with any of them, I'll hex you to hell and back."
Moka nodded, tightening her fists. "Rosary or no rosary, I won't let you mess with any of my friends."
Harry drew the trio behind him, giving them some distance from their parents. "If you want to get to any of them, you'll have to go through me."
Ageha looked between her daughter and all of her friends, her friends who were willing to defend her to such an extent, and decided that for all her bluster, her daughter really was too innocent for her own good. This might not be a harem in an official sense, but the love between all of them was almost palpable. She had never been prouder. "Kurumu, dear… keep up the good work. I think you've got it from here."
A soft smile crossed her daughter's face. "Thanks, Mom."
Tsurara observed her daughter, the way she had been willing to speak up for her friend and how her friends were willing to stand up to a trio of adult monsters for her. Perhaps, it was time to let go of the reigns and let this progress on its own. She sent a nod of acknowledgment to her daughter, and she nodded back. They would be just fine.
Meishu watched his boy being shielded by the wizard who had won his heart. Part of him wanted to rail against the sight, against the thought of his son needing the lesser monster's protection, from his own father no less. But as Meishu went back over his day, he remembered the little moments, the moments when Gin would look to him for his next step, the tension in his back, the nerves, all because of him. He had put a lot of pressure on his boy, and what right did he have? He was a failure, not just as a werewolf but as a father. He needed to be better for his boy, and maybe this was the start. Gin didn't need him to look up to, didn't need him to tell him what to do, didn't even need him to defend him. Maybe the only thing he ever needed, ever wanted from him was his approval, and looking at the man his son had become, at the love and support he inspired from these people, from his pack, maybe that was the very least he owed him.
"Gin… I'm proud of you, son. So proud."
Gin froze, a look of awe on his face, and then pure, unrestrained joy.
Meishu's heart broke for his son. How long had it been since he'd told his boy he was proud of him? When did it become rare enough for him to look so surprised?
Gin once again found himself with all the others on Harry's bed, their scents mixing comfortingly together as they allowed the tension of the day to bleed away. Tomorrow was the weekend, and they weren't expected to be anywhere in the morning. Everyone was asleep but him, Kurumu, and Mizore.
"You know, it was kinda fun while it lasted. Pretending to be a harem, that is," Mizore spoke near-silently, her head pillowed against Kurumu's thigh.
Kurumu sighed from her place beside Harry with her head resting on Moka's stomach. "Yeah, I wish we could get Harry to agree to something like that."
Gin thought on that for a moment. "Why not?" he mumbled, making sure the vibration of his voice didn't wake Harry who had fallen asleep on his chest.
"Huh?" Kurumu hummed.
"You know Harry's always shied away from that stuff," Mizore whispered.
"How do we know that if we've never brought it up officially?" Gin said.
Kurumu scoffed quietly. "Oh, please. We've dropped hints left and right."
"Endless hints," Mizore agreed.
"What if he's just been oblivious this whole time?" Gin asked, getting his hopes up against his better judgment. He did a lot of things against his better judgment when Harry was involved.
"There's literally no way he hasn't caught on. He's just too nice to turn us down," Kurumu protested.
"The same Harry who still thinks Moka sucks his blood every day because she's hungry?" Gin shot back.
There was a pause.
"No way," Kurumu whispered
"Way," Gin said.
"So then… we can really make this happen. We can make every day like today," Kurumu said, hope beginning to fill her voice.
"Minus the parental drama of course," Mizore added.
Gin hummed in agreement. "We'll need to do this gently. Set up some kind of multi-person confession? A poly-proposal?"
"We'll figure it out in the morning. Sleep now, strategize tomorrow."
Mizore and Gin nodded their heads sleepily and with that, the trio dozed off to the soft snores of their beloved wizard.
A/N: Aaaaaaand I've left canon dead in a ditch somewhere to rot. I have officially started just making shit up, and you probably won't be seeing a lot of canon adjacence from here. Although, I think last chapter was probably your big clue lol.