They were dating.
Dating.
For a little over a week now. But also... it didn't feel like much had changed between them. At least Ken thought so.
The snark was still there. The teasing, the 'let's pretend we aggravate each other but actually care a big deal about each other' vibes were a constant, and for that, Kentaro was grateful. The lack of drastic changes in their relationship meant they could easily integrate the new... intimate bits into it.
Like holding hands occasionally. And the lingering embraces.
...And kissing.
Haru seemed to particularly enjoy that part, Kentaro had observed.
They didn't do it all the time, of course. But on the rare occasions they did kiss, Haruki seemed too shy to make the first move. He would casually brush it off as if it didn't matter much, but his façade would quickly crumble, revealing a longing look in his eyes soon after. And when Ginger surprised him with a kiss (which happened quite often), Haruki would display a range of reactions, from a gaping mouth like a fish out of water to an endearing little pout.
It was cute. Haru was cute. And god, Kentaro was so head over heels it bordered nauseating.
I'm in way too deep... The sixteen-year-old redhead thought with a sigh, feeling defeated. The thoughts of never wanting to be away from Haruki were becoming alarmingly strong, and wasn't that terrifying.
"What's on your mind?" his mother's voice brought him back from his head-space, and his attention shifted to meet the concerned but equally amused set of green eyes across his own.
The mother-son duo was seated in the kitchen, each busy with different ingredients for their dinner. It was curry night, and Ken was in charge of making the curry—a rare privilege his mother had bestowed upon him. School had ended a bit early that day, and Haruki had dropped by for a quick visit with his favorite "Aunty" before heading home.
They hadn't disclosed their relationship to either set of parents yet. Not that the teenagers were actively concealing their relationship, but their current status wasn't overtly obvious, especially considering how close they already had been for a while.
However, it didn't feel right to just let their parents walk in on them kissing. The horror.
"What do you mean?" Kentaro feigned ignorance, focusing on the chicken he was cutting.
Yumiko gave a little shrug. "Don't know. Usually you're a lot more... chipper than this."
That actually earned a chuckle from the boy, "Chipper?"
"Don't deny it," the woman laughed along, though a hint of worry lingered in her voice. "Did something happen?" The unspoken 'with Haru' was implied, as if it was already understood.
"No..." There was truly no issue with whatever was happening between them. In fact, it was quite the opposite, though Ken couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed about not having anyone to share the excitement with.
They had briefly touched upon the topic of coming out last Friday, on their way back from Kentaro's eye appointment. Haruki had brought it up unexpectedly, and Ken had to admit he had been contemplating it as well. They hadn't delved deep into the conversation then, with Haru trying to brush off the negative comments he had stumbled upon on certain forums regarding relationships like theirs with a few jokes. However, Kentaro could sense the nervous energy emanating from his... boyfriend (the little flutters in his heart would be the literal end of him, he swore). He could see that Haruki was somewhat fearful. And while Ken had reassured him that the people around them would be accepting, he was also a little apprehensive.
Nonetheless, he really didn't want to keep something like this from his mother.
"Actually," he began once more before Yumiko could interject, "There's... something..."
He couldn't discern his current expression, but it certainly had Yumiko's full attention, the amusement vanishing from her face, replaced by genuine concern. "Yes?"
Kentaro paused in his chopping, his heartbeat quickening. Why was he suddenly so nervous? Was this really a good idea? "You know how close Haru and I are, right?"
"Of course, dear. Has something happened?" Yumiko tilted her head inquisitively.
Yes, we're dating now. Congratulations, your son does not, in fact, like women. Kentaro smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. "It's just... we're actually a little closer than you're probably assuming."
His mother blinked innocently, awaiting further explanation.
And there it was. "We're much, much closer now. Th-The kind that usually only girls and guys can get." And there that spark of realization was, if the way his mother eyes widened considerably was any hint. "So, what I mean by that is Haru and I—"
"Are DATING???"
Yumiko's loud exclamation made Kentaro flinch. Had he messed up? Was she upset? Did that mean...
"Are you serious, Kenta? Finally!"
Yes, fina— Hold on. He hadn't dared to directly meet her gaze until now, and what on earth? Now that he looked at her, really looked, Yumiko Nomura sported the widest grin he had ever seen, and was she... bouncing on her heels?
The flabbergasted ginger-haired teen barely had time to process this before his mother enveloped him in a hug, catching him off guard as she approached him from behind. Kentaro stood frozen for a moment before his mother's words brought him back to reality, this time in a gentle whisper.
"I'm so happy for you, sweety."
Kentaro didn't cry. He didn't, but he was damn close and he didn't even know why.
"You're not... disappointed?" he croaked, still rooted in place.
Yumiko looked at him as if he had sprouted a second nose. "What? I would never... You know that."
And he did know. But sometimes his mind played tricks on him, conjuring up worst-case scenarios that he had to brace himself for. This moment seemed to be one of them.
"Mom," he tried again, still in disbelief, "You understand what this means, right? I don't... like girls. I've never been attracted to them before. I..." he couldn't even finish.
In truth, he had never been attracted to anyone other than Haruki, so he wasn't sure what he was. Whether he would ever be attracted to the opposite sex was another issue, though he doubted it.
Yumiko's gaze locked onto her son's fearful eyes, her grip on his forearms a tad too tight. "What, you're worried you only like boys? That you're gay? Dear, I don't care about that. I just want you to be happy," she said, smiling. "And you look so, so happy with Haruki."
"But... grandkids—" he didn't get to finish, as his mother unexpectedly swatted him over the head for those words. "Ow..."
Yumiko Nomura crossed her arms, looking up at her son despite being shorter. "Which century are you living in, worrying about useless things like that."
".... Kids are useless??"
"Heavens," she sighed, rubbing her brow. "I thought you were a genius kid, but I guess I was mistaken."
"Mom..."
But then she chuckled, as if she hadn't just insulted his intelligence. He swore she spent too much time with Maki Fukuda. He didn't flinch when she rested a hand on his cheek, her face glowing with a warm smile. "Oh, Ken. I can't say anything more about you and Haru-chan except that I'm thrilled for both of you. I've been rooting for you two to figure things out for some time now."
Kentaro blinked, his voice barely more than a whisper. "...What?"
"The lingering looks? The prolonged touches?" his mother shook her head. "You two aren't exactly subtle. I always suspected there was something between you."
"So... you knew?" Ken sighed in disbelief, his eyes shiny, but no, he still wasn't going to cry.
"I didn't know it had become official, if that's what you're asking," Yumiko patted his cheek twice before pulling him into yet another warm embrace, which Kentaro welcomed this time. "And you have no idea how relieved I am. You thought I was joking when I said I wouldn't mind Haru being my son-in-law?"
Kentaro let out a surprised huff, hiding his teary eyes and disbelieving smile as he hugged her back, "Huh?" She had mentioned that before? And wow, was she jumping the gun there. He was pretty sure it was still too soon for them to be bringing up marriage.
"You really are a lost cause," Yumiko chuckled. "We all knew you were so smitten with Haru that it would have been more shocking if you'd brought someone else home randomly. The way you two interacted only reinforced my certainty."
"So this is really okay?"
"More than okay, dear."
Kentaro hugged her tightly, overwhelmed with emotions as he sighed into his mother's embrace, "Thanks, mom." He felt foolish for ever doubting that his mother would be happy for him. She'd probably be sadder that he'd hesitated at all.
But at least the issue was out in the open.
"So," the teen began, his grip on his mother not loosening. In fact, it tightened noticeably. "Who's 'we'?"
Sure enough, Yumiko froze. "Eh?" Suddenly, she seemed to have trouble understanding Japanese.
"You know, the 'we all knew you were so smitten with Haru'... Who's 'we'?"
"Me and... a few others, naturally."
"And who are these 'few others'?"
"Is something burning? I smell something burning," Yumiko attempted to escape.
"Don't even stress about that, mother, I assure you there's nothing on the stove."
Yumiko laughed at that, "Gosh, what a cunning child."
Her son couldn't help but join in her laughter. He should have known better than to worry in the first place, with his mother being his biggest supporter in everything he did. His mind had conjured up terrifying scenarios needlessly.
This would be the first and last time Kentaro ever doubted this woman.
**
It turned out that the "few others" Yumiko Nomura had mentioned were Izumi, Misa, and Akihiro. At this point Kentaro wasn't even surprised.
Haruki patiently listened as his partner in crime related his afternoon's events with a fond smile on his lips. He couldn't currently see Ginger, but he was one hundred percent certain the guy was lying in bed, legs and feet hoisted up against the wall, with a silly grin plastered on his stupid face. The towel he should have used to properly dry his hair after his shower would have probably been discarded and forgotten somewhere. This was only a guess, mind.
"They had a wager on me, Haru. Who does that?" Ken's soft laughter reverberated through the speakers of Haruki's headphones, making the older teen's heart flip a little. "And apparently Akihiro won."
"And why's that?" he chuckled, attention divided between Ginger's words and the equations in front of him. He really should have done his homework much earlier. Ken was probably done with his own by now, though to be fair, he only had a few English phrases to translate. And maybe an essay on the side... Okay, Haruki was just lazy.
"They bet on how long it'd take for us to get together, who'd confess first, and the location. Hiro got two of those correct, whereas mom got one, and Aunts Izumi and Misa got none," Ken explained. "To be fair though, Akihiro already had the advantage. He knew both of us on a personal level and somehow understood how our brains worked."
"Well, that's a little unsettling."
"Don't I know that," Kentaro mused with a sigh. "Probably all that bodyguard training he did, reading people. He's weird like that. It'd be easier to question his freakiness if he replied to my texts though."
Haruki's hand paused its ministrations at that, equations forgotten. "Still nothing?"
Kentaro hummed on the line. It'd been fifteen days since Akihiro Kayame suddenly dropped off the grid. He didn't text, call, or anything, and it had people worried. After the Nomuras left, Izumi had quit her job at the Harada Estate, like she'd said she would. Misa was still there, though actively looking for another job on the side, but she hadn't heard from Akihiro either. And she'd last seen him for even longer. It really was worrying.
Haruki didn't think his grandfather would be able to pull the same trick twice if the guy had gotten into some sort of trouble with the main family. The first time had only worked because Ryuji Nakamura already had some history with Ken and his mother.
But no one needed to hear that.
"I'm sure he's fine. Probably going through... more training or some shit," Haruki mumbled. He really hoped nothing bad had happened. Then again, he was at the Harada Estate. Bad things always happened there. Okay, maybe don't dwell on it for long. "I'm happy for you though."
Kentaro made an inquisitive noise.
"I mean," Haruki distractedly tapped the surface of his book with the yellow pencil held. "All your guardians know about... you know."
"Oh," there was silence on the other end for a moment, before Kentaro spoke up again. "Did I... make the right move? I know you said you were fine with not keeping things a secret, but—"
"But nothing," Haruki sighed, though it wasn't from exasperation as a small smile quirked his lips. "You told them what was going on and it worked out, and that's a relief on its own."
"...But?"
Huh. So Ginger could tell Haruki had something weighing on his mind even through the phone. It was both endearing and a little sad.
Hands running down his face, the seventeen-year-old breathed with a kind of heaviness that came from someone who didn't exactly know what step to take next. He worried his lower lip with his teeth for a few seconds, unsure of how to express himself, but Ginger beat him to it.
"I understand you need more time, Haru," came the words, tone carrying that familiar softness that always made Haruki's heart feel like it might burst from his chest. "I didn't share all this to push you into anything."
"I know..."
"And if I'm being honest, mine was sort of an impulsive decision."
Haruki chuckled, the sound strained. "I know."
"Then don't think too much about it."
"I probably shouldn't," Haruki mumbled as he face-planted onto his book.
He then heard a fond sigh, "But you're going to do it anyway."
Haruki emitted a groan of acknowledgment. Overthinking seemed to be his brain's favorite pastime these days. "There are just... so many people who will need to know about this. 'This' being my supposed sexual orientation. And if they all react strangely or freak out... I'm not sure how I'll handle it."
Another pause followed, during which Haruki sensed Kentaro mulling over various thoughts, all of which Haruki was certain he didn't particularly want to hear.
And lo and behold.
"If things do get... 'weird' with your family, and it all becomes overwhelming, I'd understand if you didn't want—"
"I dare you to finish that sentence," Haruki straightened in his seat immediately.
"... I won't."
"Good. Coz I didn't tell you all this to pressure you or make you feel bad," the older teen huffed, before his lips slowly quirked into a grin. "How does it feel to have your own words thrown back at you?"
"Horrible, since you always have to be smug about it," he could practically feel Kentaro rolling his eyes at him. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother."
"I mean 'it's quite obvious, innit?'" the sudden change in language and accent caught Kentaro so off-guard that he actually spluttered, both speechless and amused.
"Don't ever do that again!"
"Don't be like that. I know my English is quite good, so you're just jealous."
And if Kentaro noticed that Haruki had shifted the topic, he chose not to comment on it.
~~~~~~