She was being silly. She kept telling herself that. But who wouldn't be nervous? Planning to meet your boyfriend's parents always carried with it some justification for nerves after all.
So what if she'd already meet them twice? The first time in particular still lingered the air of awkwardness. After all, her first meeting with them was the aftermath of Ren's arrest. The second meeting was when they had taken Ren back to Shimoda.
She wondered if she'd ever get over the first waves of awkwardness from the first meeting and Ren's complicated situation.
It's been a little over a month since Ren returned home. From her and Ren's text messages, she knew that Ren's relationship with his parents was slowly improving but they still… had their moments.
But Golden Week was almost here and Anne had a plan. She wanted to surprise Ren but she didn't want to throw off Ren's parents by showing up unannounced. On top of that, she didn't know if they had plans for Golden Week.
So… she had convinced Futaba to find out the Amamiyas' house phone number.
So here she was dialing the Amamiya house and praying that Ren wouldn't pick up. Anne took a deep breath before dialing the phone number that Futaba gave her.
It rang a few times before somebody answered. Thankfully, it was a feminine voice.
"Hello, this is the Amamiya residence."
Anne bit the inside of her cheek before twirling a lock of blonde hair with her index finger.
"Hi, Yuri-san. It's um… it's Anne."
"Oh, this is a surprise! How are you, Anne? Are you looking for Ren?" inquired Ren's mother.
"Um, no, not exactly…" Anne said slowly.
She was thankful that Yuri-san hadn't asked about how she got the house number. Hopefully she'd just assume that Ren gave it to her.
"I just wanted to run an idea with you first…" she said after a moment of hesitation.
She started to explain her plans of coming out there during Golden Week; her heart began to beat a bit faster. She was unsure how Ren's mother would take this. Would she think that Anne was intruding?
Yuri-san let out a small hum. "Well, I don't think Junto has made any plans with Sora."
"And neither of his other siblings?" Anne asked.
"It's… a little complicated with the other two," Yuri-san sighed out. "Before Junto introduced me to his family, he went into more details about them. They… handled their mother's death in different ways."
"Oh… I see," Anne said quietly.
Anne would be lying if she stated that she wasn't curious but… it would be rude to pry.
"Sora says that they still miss Junto so… I suppose it's just waiting and seeing," Yuri-san said before she cleared her throat. "But enough about that. When were you planning on coming?"
"I took a look and I saw that there's a train available after school…"
Ren's face when Anne surprised him at the end of his school day was priceless. They had meandered down the path to Ren's house, which allowed Anne to get a good eyeful of where Ren had grown up.
"It's not that special, you know," Ren suddenly commented.
Anne giggled before poking him in the side. Right where he was ticklish. He squirmed away from her with a glare.
"It's special because it's where you grew up," she stated. "Though honestly, I can't help but wonder how you took to Tokyo so well."
"Well…" Ren gave a small laugh. "It's funny, when I was a kid. I used to dream about seeing the world. I felt cramped here because Shimoda felt so small. But coming back here… I guess I learned to appreciate it more."
Anne hummed. Seeing the world… she had seen plenty of the world when she traveled with her parents for their job.
It was funny, there had been times where she had wistfully wished for her parents to find one place to settle down. For them to build a home, where they planned to stay permanently.
"Things are always greener on the other side," Anne said.
When Ren stared at her blankly, she gave a small giggle.
She explained, "Sorry, it's a saying that my dad would sometimes say. It means feeling like what you don't have is better than what you do."
"Oh… I see." Ren then frowned, shaking his head as he gave her hand a squeeze. "That's not true. Because I have you."
After wandering up and down Shimoda, they finally decided to come back to Ren's home. Growing up, her parents always picked spacious housing. But the Amamiyas' home was cozy.
Anne liked looking at all the small knick-knacks and admiring the photos hanging on the walls. There was a picture of Ren's parents at their wedding. They had a Shinto ceremony, judging how they were wearing kimonos. They looked like they were in their late twenties or so in these photos.
But there were photos of Ren's parents with an older couple; Anne presumed they were Ren's maternal grandparents, given how Junto-san was estranged from his family for so long.
And there were finally pictures of Ren with his parents. He was adorable as a child, with round cheeks and bright eyes. Some of them were candid photos, some of them were obviously posed. But Anne couldn't help but smile as she looked at all of them.
"Ren?"
Anne jumped as Yuri-san appeared. She looked a little frazzled as she tried to smooth out her hair.
"Oh good, you're home." Yuri-san then smiled at Anne. "It's good to see you, Anne-chan. Would you like anything to drink?"
"Ahh, no, it's okay!" Anne squeaked out. "Thank you for having me, Yuri-san."
Ren's mother smiled. "Of course, of course."
She then looked to Ren, raising an eyebrow.
"And I expect you to behave yourself, Ren," she said sternly.
Ren frowned before pressing a hand against his chest. "Me? The picture of comportment?"
Yuri-san's expression abruptly deadpanned. "Right, and I'll go out and catch wind in a net."
Anne couldn't help but giggle. It seemed that Yuri-san was all too used to Ren's antics.
"Now, I need to continue prepping some things for tonight's dinner," Yuri-san said. "But please make yourself at home, Anne-chan. I'll be back soon—just need to pick up some things from the grocery store."
"Ah!" Anne straightened up. "Do you need help cooking then, Yuri-san?"
Yuri-san just laughed, waving a hand.
Yuri said with a light smile, "No need. Thank you though, Anne-chan. It's not the fanciest fare, but I hope you'll like it."
"I'm sure I'll like it no matter what, Yuri-san," Anne said.
She once remembered Haru talking about a meal shared with family or friends always would taste better than a 5-star restaurant's course eaten alone. And… she could understand to a degree.
A home-cooked meal always tasted better.
Yuri-san moved to slip on a pair of black pumps by the door. Her heels clicked on the ground, before the door shut behind her. After Yuri-san left, Ren just pouted towards the door.
"Man, Mom has no faith in me," Ren whined jokingly as he rubbed his neck.
"Your mother's sharp, what can I say?" Morgana said, sticking his head out of Ren's bag.
Ren just shot Morgana a look. Anne couldn't help but giggle.
"Not sharp enough to notice that Ren sneaks you out to school, though," Anne commented before scratching Morgana under his chin.
Morgana had settled in Ren's bag after happily greeting Anne when she had surprised Ren. She supposed it was to give them a little privacy, which Anne had appreciated.
Ren snorted. "And if I did leave him home, Morgana would be bored out of his mind. It's better for everyone, trust me."
"That and you don't want to be alone," Morgana sniffed.
Ren could only smile sheepishly.
Anne then took Ren's hand, tugging him to sit down with her on the couch. Her eyes then settled on the kotatsu.
"I didn't know you grew up with a kotatsu," Anne said as she tilted her head.
Ren wrinkled his nose. "I don't know how people go without one. A kotatsu is vital to one surviving winter."
"Don't be a drama queen!" Anne laughed. "My parents decided not to get one for me because they felt the heating system was more than enough."
Then she poked Ren playfully in the chest, raising one brow at him.
"Besides, you're the one who never ice skated before I dragged you to an ice rink and that's even more of a travesty in my opinion," she said, then stuck her tongue out.
Ren just rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Not my fault that my parents never were into ice skating."
Unbeknownst to the couple, Yuri peeked in on them from the front door… and she couldn't help but smile at how her son's face lit up as he playfully bantered with his girlfriend. She snuck away quickly to head to the store.
About an hour after Ren brought Anne into the house, Ren's father arrived. Yuri-san sent him to clean up before bringing out the food; she was cooking mentaiko pasta. Unfortunately, Ren had yet to be able to convince his parents to let Morgana eat at the table. So he was eating between Ren and Anne's seats.
The kitchen was filled with the smell of pasta in butter, warm and rich. The mentaiko added a tangy, spicy kick, while the salty cod brought a deeper, almost smoky aroma. A light dusting of cheese melted into the pasta, adding a smooth creaminess to the whole dish. Even though it wasn't normal for the dish to have this, Yuri-san had added a drizzle of chili oil. His mom also made a side dish; a salad with nuts and a delicious cranberry dressing.
"This is amazing, Yuri-san!" Anne then glanced towards Ren, raising an eyebrow. "I guess you had some history cooking then?"
Anne saw Ren sneak Morgana a bite of cod before he answered, "Yeah, Dad said it was an important life skill. Otherwise, you're stuck with instant ramen and other frozen meals for the rest of your life."
Junto-san shrugged. "It's not hard to learn. Even if it's the simple dishes, like stir fries and what not."
Anne couldn't help but giggle. He sounded a little like Shinjiro-san. Though Ken claimed that he said that about all the food you could find in restaurants.
Anne twirled some pasta on her fork before taking a bite. Her eyes lit up! The flavor was so good! The salt, spice, and creamy cheese all blended so well together.
"This is really tasty, Yuri-san!" Anne exclaimed, placing a hand on her cheek.
Yuri-san blushed lightly. "Thank you, Anne-chan."
"I'm still learning how to cook," Anne admitted, before twirling some more pasta onto her fork and taking another bite. "I like baking desserts more than cooking main course dishes."
On top of that, her caretaker typically had cooked her a few dishes in preparation for the days she wasn't there. But Ren had taught her a couple things.
"What you get for having such a sweet tooth," Ren teased lightly.
Anne stuck her tongue out at him without thinking before she blushed. She shouldn't act childish in front of Ren's parents…
"I'm working on eating it in moderation," Anne grumbled out.
Yuri-san suddenly cleared her throat, making Ren and Anne look back to her.
"So… I didn't want to ask you this in front of everyone before," Yuri-san said. "But I was wondering—how did you meet?"
"We met on the first day of the school year," Ren said. "I had taken cover under an awning because it was raining."
Junto-san winced in sympathy. "Not… the greatest start, I see."
"Well not at first but… then I met Anne." Ren let out a little chuckle. "It was funny because she was wearing a hoodie—didn't know how she could stuff all of her hair in that, by the way."
Anne huffed in annoyance, patting her hair for a moment. It wasn't even that thick…
"Are you gonna share the way you stared at me?" she asked tartly.
"Ren!" Yuri-san scolded.
"It wasn't bad," Anne hastened to reassure her. "I was umm—used to more intense stares. Ren was almost… innocent in a way, like he was in awe."
Yuri-san relaxed at that. Thankfully, she didn't press too much on that. Junto-san just chuckled, raising his cup of tea to his lips.
"Ren and innocent rarely go together," he noted dryly.
Anne couldn't help but giggle. Junto-san had a sorta wry sense of humor, didn't he? Kinda reminded her of Ken.
"Junto, don't tease," Yuri-san chided lightly but she shot her husband an equally fond and exasperated smile.
But then Anne couldn't help but feel curious. Ren's parents were a little… different than hers.
Granted, it was a bit of a cultural thing. Dad was raised in America, so Dad was a little more physically affectionate with both Anne and Mom.
Ren's parents were a little less open but Anne could see the affection between them with the glances they exchanged and the brief brushes of their hands.
"What about you though, Junto-san and Yuri-san?" Anne asked.
"Us?" Junto-san blinked in surprise.
"Sorry—how did you guys meet?" Anne clarified.
Ren's parents exchanged a look at that. Junto-san then ran a hand through his hair.
"Well, actually—we knew each other since elementary school. But we didn't really get to know each other until we were adults. I was… occupied with caring for my siblings," he answered.
"I didn't know this," Ren noted.
Yuri-san chuckled, hiding her laugh behind her hand. "You never asked. But as Junto said… we met again as adults. We were… twenty-three at the time, I believe. I had decided to retire as an idol. I knew that I would be phased out soon and I didn't really want to 'graduate'. Showbiz is… difficult. And I didn't think I had what it took to make it."
Anne looked over to her boyfriend. Ren was quiet but she could see the admiration shimmering in his dark eyes.
"But I came back home to my parents, so I could figure out what to do. But my parents were occupied so I decided to get a bite to eat. When I entered the cafe, one of the workers recognized me as Tsubaki. Before he could really press me though, Junto came to the rescue."
Morgana then commented, "Huh… didn't realize idols were that big of a deal."
Anne held back a laugh as she noticed Junto-san sneaking a little bit of cod under the table to Morgana. It seemed Morgana could soften the hearts of Sojiro and now Junto-san too. Even if he couldn't understand Morgana, both of them couldn't resist those little meows.
"You always overplay that, Yuri," Junto-san sighed.
"Hush, Junto, you were my hero. A bit more understated gesture but nevertheless, you were there when I needed it." Yuri-san playfully swatted his shoulder with a light laugh. "But anyways—Junto pretended that he was waiting for me and escorted me to the table. It was only then when Junto introduced himself that I remembered."
Junto-san ran a hand through his hair. "It was a bit of a surprise to see her there, her hiatus had just been released to the public."
"I needed to get some fresh air," Yuri-san said with a shrug. "But we exchanged numbers and well… I was a little lost on what I could do. But Junto helped me figure it out."
She gave Junto-san a tender smile, her crimson eyes shining as she gazed at her husband. Anne reached out for Ren's hand, giving it a small squeeze. Ren squeezed back, his finger brushing over the couple ring on Anne's hand.
She couldn't help but hope that she would still be in love with Ren even after decades of being together. They were young still but Anne knew that she wanted to marry Ren one day.
"That's so sweet," Anne said with a smile as she squeezed Ren's hand. "You know… Ren helped me figure out what I wanted in life too."
Junto-san released Yuri-san's hand as he turned towards Anne. Yuri-san resumed eating her food while Junto-san cleared his throat.
"You're a model, right, Anne-chan?" Junto-san inquired. "How did you get into that?"
Anne took a sip of her drink. "Well… my parents run a fashion design company. I got into that because of that."
Junto-san frowned. "They didn't push you into it, did they?"
Anne's eyes widened before she vehemently shook her head. She set down her drink gingerly.
"No, it's nothing like that! I asked to, I wanted to see how their work operated," Anne said as she picked up her fork and fiddled with it.
Anne bit her lip. She hadn't even told Ren this. But a part of why she thought to get into modeling originally was that she nurtured the hope that she would be able to work with her parents and so that they wouldn't have to be apart.
It was a little embarrassing to admit…
She felt Morgana rub against her leg. Maybe he picked up on her embarrassment. Either way, it was reassuring. She reached down with her other hand to lightly pet him. Before she twirled some pasta with her fork and took one more bite.
But then Anne coughed. "It's just well… Ren helped me realize that I want to be a shining light. To give people hope."
She gave a nervous chuckle. She hoped that Ren's parents wouldn't think it was impractical or anything…
But Yuri-san's eyes softened. "That's an admirable goal, Anne-chan. I don't regret leaving showbiz. I knew it would become even more competitive and I didn't want to stay in that environment. I found a way to stay involved in what I loved about being an idol while creating a new life with Junto."
"What's that?" Anne couldn't help but be curious.
Yuri-san tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear. "I work with new idols that my old agency brings in. I teach them singing and dancing routines."
Anne giggled. "That explains why Ren is a great dancer."
"Nah—that's all me," Ren interjected.
Anne just snickered in response. "So modest, Ren."
Ren gave her a lopsided smile. "And you love it, my lady."
Yuri-san gave Ren a pointed look. Ren just gave her an overly innocent smile before he went back to eating his food.
Junto-san then tilted his head. "Though, Anne-chan, I'm curious. Are you planning on staying a model forever? Or do you plan on breaking into fashion design eventually like your parents?"
"Right now, my goal is to get my foot in the door," Anne explained as she set her fork back down. "My parents have connections and I do want to use that to reach the top. I'm… not opposed to fashion design. But right now, I want to focus on modeling."
Junto-san nodded. "A sound goal."
Ren put his fork down, reaching for his drink to take another sip. But Anne could feel his eyes on her even as she was facing forward towards his parents.
"I'm even studying some other languages on the side," Anne mentioned. "My dad's Japanese American so I pretty much learned English when I was a baby. Right now, I'm focusing on French and Italian."
Junto-san leaned forward. "I think that's a good idea, it'll definitely help you when you seek out international gigs."
Yuri-san then looked to Junto-san, a familiar mischievous glint entering her eyes. "Perhaps you should teach her Korean then, darling. You've been binging quite a few Korean dramas, haven't you?"
Junto-san then turned red. "Y-Yuri, that's…!"
Anne had to clap a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't laugh. She glanced at her boyfriend, who just mouthed, "K-dramas?"
"Only the good ones!" Junto-san insisted, his face still red.
"What's the big deal about Korean dramas?" Morgana questioned.
Ren then 'accidentally' scooted his fork off the table. "Oops, better get that."
When he bent to grab his fork, he whispered to Morgana that he'd explain later.
Anne couldn't help but giggle. Both at Ren and Morgana. As well at Ren's father being obviously embarrassed by this.
It was true that there were some good K-dramas. Like the Sashin drama, where the protagonist had been cursed to become an immortal and being forced to watch his loved ones die—only to find the reincarnation of his lover.
"Besides, Dad, you should see some of the romcoms Anne likes," Ren said, popping back up from his seat.
It was Anne's turn to grow red. "S-Shut up, Ren! And you said you like most of them!"
"Yeah, most of them," Ren replied with a cheeky grin.
"Oh, you…!" Anne couldn't help but fume.
"You guys are always so rowdy…" Morgana griped.
Anne glowered at her boyfriend. Ren just chuckled and went back to eating his dinner.
After they finished dessert, Anne volunteered to help Yuri-san wash the dishes. She insisted it wasn't necessary but Anne persisted until she gave in.
Anne scrubbed the dishes down with a sponge and Yuri-san rinsed them clean before stacking the dishes on the nearby rank.
She heard Yuri-san give a quiet exhale.
"Yuri-san?" Anne inquired.
"Hm?" Yuri-san gave a start. "Oh um… I was just thinking."
Anne tilted her head. "About what?"
Yuri-san was silent, gazing down on the sink. Then she looked up at Anne.
"Anne-chan… I just wanted to thank you," Yuri-san answered softly.
"Thank me?" Anne tilted her head, puzzled.
"It's…" Yuri-san trailed off. "I was just thinking—Ren had never brought home a girl before. He had gone on a few dates but they rarely ended in a second date. But then he brings you home. And I was just thinking about how he's grown up. And then… I think about how foolish Junto and I behaved, pushing him away."
Anne frowned, trying to pull together her thoughts.
"The fact is that you can't take back what happened in the past," she said with a sad smile.
Anne could relate. She had so many regrets. Especially with what happened with Kamoshida and Shiho… But all she could do was move forward.
Anne scrubbed another plate and said with a smile, "But the important thing is that all three of you are trying."
Yuri-san pursed her lips. "I know, I know… It hasn't been easy. But the fact that Ren wants to give it a second try means a lot to me and Junto."
Then she looked Anne directly in the eye, making her straighten up.
"And… I know you talked about how Ren has supported you. But I can see that you've done your fair share of supporting him." Yuri-san said, accepting the plate from Anne to dry. "So… thank you. Thank you for being there for him. And... thank you for loving him, Anne-chan."
Anne smiled gently.
It was easy to love Ren. He had a big heart, was compassionate, funny… (Even though some of his puns were pretty bad—she could understand why Ken kept cringing at them.)
"It was no hardship to," Anne said. "And… I'm glad for the chance to get to know you better."
Yuri-san then smiled. "I am too. And… I meant what I said. Your dream is a wonderful one, I think you'll make it there someday."
Anne's heart swelled at her words.
"Thank you, Yuri-san."
Happy Shuann Week! I hope you enjoyed this small piece I managed to get out (even if it's a couple days late). Even though I tried to sprinkle in some info about Ren's parents in this oneshot (and they were featured in an earlier Shuann Week submission), have some notes on Ren's parents.
Junto Amamiya: A city secretary. Estranged from his family for many years due to his choice of wife, had to mostly raise his 3 younger siblings after the death of his mother. Ren's aunt Sora is his youngest sister. On the more reserved side, but loves his family dearly. Has chestnut hair + gray eyes.
Yuri Amamiya (nee Oshiro): An ex-idol who belonged to the group Hanasaki. As mentioned in the oneshot, she helps mentor new idols. Charming and vivacious, with a mischievous streak. Has black hair + red eyes.
I also wanted to give angelrin89 a big thank you for helping edit this! I hope all of you enjoyed!
