Work Text:
Tsutako stared at her phone, at the last message her younger brother sent, before standing up from her bed and leaving the bedroom. She quickly walked down the stairs and went into the living room, where her father was watching the TV and stopped at the door, staring at him. She could hear her mother in the kitchen cooking something, probably to get ahead with dinner.
"Father, mother, Giyuu texted me... He says he's passing by and wants to talk...". She could see her father freezing and hear her mother dropping something on the floor. Hopefully it wasn't a plate.
"Did he say exactly when?" asked her father, without moving, while her mother came out of the kitchen, apron in her hands.
"Not really, but he probably meant now" she whispered, checking the phone again in case she missed a new text.
"Did he say if he is bringing someone with him?". Her mother's voice was trembling while asking.
"No, I think it's just him". She understood why her mother was asking that. After all, he was the main reason why her brother hasn't contacted or visited them in three years, only randomly texting her back from time to time. Well, it was because of him but she knew he actually didn't do anything bad, it was just easier to blame him.
"He didn't say anything else?" her father asked, but she shook her head.
"I think I'm going to get changed" said her mother as she quickly left the room.
Tsutako moved from the door and sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the carpet under her feet.
Her mind started to wander, trying to figure out what her brother could possibly want to tell them: maybe he finally wanted to talk about his boyfriend, maybe something bad happened...
The doorbell rang and her head snapped, her gaze moving on the front door, staring as her mother rushed to open it.
There he was, her younger brother, standing at the entrance, in his big blue coat that made him look smaller than he actually was.
Their mother clearly couldn't hold it in anymore and jumped at his neck, hugging him tight, tears in her eyes.
A quiet "Sorry" slipped out of her lips but Giyuu was frozen in place.
After their mother led him inside and took his coat, Tsutako stood up and rushed to him, hugging him too, before leading him to the sofa, where they sat. Their mother quickly followed, stopping next to the armchair where her husband was.
Their father didn't move at all, still in his armchair, but he too was clearly shaken.
"Good evening father, mother, Tsutako. I apologize for the short notice, this visit wasn't planned for me either" he started to say, gaze stuck on their parents. It felt rehearsed, as if while coming here, he studied what to say and how to say it.
"Would you like something to drink first? We have this really good tea that goes very well with those biscuits you used to like..." their mother squirmed, not knowing what to do.
"Thank you mother but not today...
I'm glad to see that you are all doing good. I came by just to tell you that I'll graduate soon and I thought I should at least tell you in person, since you are my family. I'll understand if you don't feel like coming. I won't be alone, my mate and colleagues will be there, so you don't have to worry" he explained flatly, his gaze never leaving their face.
He was clearly trying to stay calm but Tsutako noticed his hands trembling.
"I also wanted to apologize for what happened last time we talked and for the time it took me to do so. I couldn't express myself well and because of me we fought. I'm sorry mother, father" he added, bowing his head.
"You don't have to apologize! It was our fault too, if anything it should be us apologizing for how we acted! We want to apologize to him too, we were so stubborn at the time and we couldn't understand our mistake" cried out the woman, rushing to his side, kneeling down so that she could look into her son's eyes. She couldn't help but let out a sob when she noticed the tears silently streaming down her son's face and rushed to hug him again.
"Please, don't cry Giyuu, it was our fault, we were so focused on our own concerns about your future and safety that we just jumped to conclusions. And it was very wrong from us". She slowly tried to wipe his tears but they wouldn't stop coming out.
"I know that but I still reacted badly and said some hurtful things. I really didn't mean to but I couldn't muster the courage to come home and apologize. Instead I ran away and ignored everyone for three years. I was so scared to disappoint everyone again...".
"Don't say that, you have never disappointed us, neither you nor your sister could ever disappoint us.
You always avoided even just talking to alphas, for all we knew your friends were all betas, we thought you were scared of them or hated them. So when we saw you with that alpha boy, we didn't even stop to think and talk about it with you, we just assumed that he was forcing you or that he would hurt you and we judged him without knowing what was going on. We should have known that you would never do something that could put yourself in danger and that you are strong enough to take care of yourself.
I don't want to find an excuse for how we acted, but as betas sometimes we have a hard time understanding how you feel or how things between alphas and omegas really work, so without noticing, we kept assuming the worst about everything.
But you weren't at fault, you didn't disappoint us, we are really proud of you and of course we'll come to your graduation, thank you for coming and inviting us".
Mother and son kept hugging. Tsutako also started to cry, listening to her mother's words.
It was then that their father stood up and moved to hug his son and wife, dragging his daughter in the hug too.
"We love you Giyuu, no matter what, don't forget that"
This made Giyuu laugh a bit. He knew that his father wasn't a talkative man, so those few words meant more than anything.
"I'm sorry if I made you worry and I'm sorry for shutting you out. I promise I won't run away again like that".
They kept hugging for a long time, whispering words of comfort and apologies.
When they finally broke the hugs, their eyes were all red and puffy from crying.
"I think I'll have that tea now, mother".
~
"So, about your mate, is he the same alpha boy from three years ago?" asked their mother, while pouring everyone a cup of hot tea.
"Yeah, his name is Sanemi Shinazugawa, we live together in his apartment now. I didn't like living in the university's dorms so after we became mates, almost one year and half ago, I moved there, even if it's a bit small for two people".
Subconsciously he brushed the mark on the back of his neck, smiling slightly. His parents' eyes caught the gesture and smiled lightly. They couldn't really understand what it was like to have a mate, but they knew what love looked like and they could see it in their son's face.
"What does he do? Does he go to the same university as you?" his father decided to ask.
"No, he doesn't go to university. He already works. He started young to help his mother with the family's expenses, since he is the oldest of seven and his father isn't in the picture anymore. But now their situation is more stable so most of his paycheck goes into his savings.
Actually, I already received an offer for a position in the company where I did my internship this year, so I'll start to work there after I graduate and I'll be able to help more with house's expenses even if he tells me not to worry about it". (Guys, I don't know shit about how these stuff works, I don't have a job yet and it's different here)
His eyes were beaming while talking about his alpha, proud of him.
"Well, that's good to know, we are really proud of you dear. We knew you could do it, you have always been a hard worker. But are you two okay with living in an apartment? You can always come back here, your room is still the same, and when the time comes, you can go look for a new house to live in".
Tsutako had to suppress a laugh. The two were already mated and if there was something that she had learned from her friends was that they wouldn't be able to stay away from each other for long, especially with a fairly recently formed bond. But her parents couldn't have known that.
"Thank you mother but that won't be necessary. We are actually saving up what we can to buy a house as soon as possible. I also picked up a part time job in the meanwhile to help.
It's true that the apartment isn't the most practical and it's small for the two of us to keep living in, so we don't plan to stay there for long. We will be moving as soon as we can. Especially since..." but his voice went quiet, he lowered his gaze again, staring at the empty cup in his hands.
The sudden silence worried his mother, who couldn't understand what caused her son to shift from happily chirping about his partner to looking so lost and little. She brushed his bangs out of his face but they fell back over his eyes.
"Is there something else you need to tell us? Something you want to ask? You don't have to rush it dear, you can tell us when you feel ready-" she tried to reassure him but he cut her off.
"I'm pregnant!" he shouted, his face red, his eyes shut.
The room fell silent. And panic started to creep in.
"I wasn't supposed to tell you yet, he wanted to be here with me, meet you properly, but I couldn't hide it in anymore, I'm sorry. I know I messed up but I already told the company and they didn't have any problems with it so I'll still have the job... and I know it's not an ideal situation but it wasn't planned, it was my mistake, I messed up, I just- I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he started to ramble, his voice heavy with fear. Tears started to roll down his cheeks again, feeling overwhelmed and scared of their reaction.
Tsutako was the first one to break from the shock and to rush to his side.
She removed the cup from his trembling hands and squeezed them hard, forcing him to look at her but his eyes couldn't focus on her face.
"Giyuu, you need to breathe, you need to stay calm" but her words were barely reaching him.
He kept rambling, apologizing over and over again, blaming himself for being a disappointment.
"What can we do? He can't even hear us!" their mother started to panic too.
"Mom, calm down! Acting like that will only make this worse! I need his phone" she instructed.
They found it in one of the pockets of his jacket.
She forced her brother's index finger against the sensor, unlocking the phone; she quickly searched through his contacts and luckily found what she was searching for almost immediately.
Nemi 💚
It had to be him. She clicked on the number and hoped the other would answer.
Her prayers were heard, and a voice soon came from the phone.
"Hey Yuu, are you done? Should I come pick you up?"
"I'm his sister Tsutako. I need you to come quickly, I think he's having some sort of panic attack" she explained quickly without wasting time.
"Okay I'm coming".
"The address is-" but the man had already ended the call.
"What did he say?" her mother asked.
"He said he's coming but I couldn't even tell him the address" she answered, while opening the texting app to search for his chat and send the address there.
But when she opened it she quickly noticed that her brother had already sent the address before coming inside the house.
Not wanting to invade her brother's privacy, she turned off the phone and turned to her parents, while still hugging her brother.
"Now we can only wait".
She didn't like seeing her little brother like this, used to his calm demeanor. It had already shocked her when she saw him angry, fighting with their parents.
Thankfully they only had to wait for a few minutes for the doorbell to ring.
Their father, who was the closest to the door, rushed to open it.
"He is in-" Tsutako heard her father saying but the sentence stopped mid hair. She was about to turn to look at her father when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Give him to me, I'll help him". She turned her head, her blue eyes meeting purple ones and for a moment she freezed.
She had never seen him from this close, and the only time they ever "met" was three years ago, so she never had the opportunity to see him clearly. Now that she was, she was shocked to see a big scar running under his right eye and some smaller ones above it.
His hair was still white as it did three years ago.
"Come on, give him to me" he repeated, shaking her slightly.
"Oh yes, right. Here, take him" she said, slowly unwrapping her arms from her brother's body and gently handing him over to his mate.
She watched as he carefully picked him up and carried him to the sofa, where he sat, keeping him on his lap.
Her mother and father decided to sit back on their chairs, but their gaze was fixed on their son. They couldn't hear anything coming from them, other than Giyuu's broken sobs, but Sanemi must have done something to him, because slowly his sobs quieted down completely and his body stopped trembling soon after.
They still didn't dare to say a word, didn't dare to move.
Then they saw the alpha move Giyuu off his lap, down on the sofa. They watched as he got up and slowly laid down Giyuu, who was now asleep.
He took off his jacket and laid it on top of him, then quickly kissed his forehead and quietly walked away from the sofa, moving towards them.
"I'm sorry about that. He has been stressed out lately and he was really worried about talking with all of you. I told him to wait for me but he didn't want to... He was probably worried about your reaction to me, so I apologize" he said, bowing slightly.
Seeing that they weren't saying anything, he kept talking.
"My name is Sanemi Shinazugawa, I'll be 23 by the end of the month. I'm the oldest sibling in my family and I already work because of this. Giyuu and I became mates not so long ago and since then we have been living together in an apartment I've been renting so that I could be closer to work, but we are saving up to buy our own house. I apologize for what happened three years ago, it was my fault if you fought with Giyuu. I know I don't have the most reassuring look, with all the scars and my hair... I know I look like trouble. But my hair has always been white since birth and I got the scars from my father that used to beat us... you see, to protect my siblings I always forced him to focus only on me". He could hear the gasps of horror and surprise, but he kept his head down.
"My father is no longer with us, he had an accident years ago and now there's only my mother, me and my other six siblings. They have already met Giyuu and they really like him. And I really love him. I'm sorry it took me this long to meet you, I've been waiting for Giyuu to feel ready since it's a matter that has been weighing on him. But I wish to express my love for him and my desire to keep loving him and supporting him in every choice he makes" only after that he finally raised his head to meet their gaze.
After a moment of silence, it was Tsutako who talked first.
"Wow, I would have never guessed that you're younger than Giyuu!" she exclaimed. Her parents stared at her perplexed and Sanemi couldn't control himself and started to laugh.
"I'm sorry but from everything I've said, it's funny how that's what you're most surprised about" he explained after he calmed down.
~
They talked for a while, mainly about Giyuu.
They told Sanemi that Giyuu started to panic after he told them about the pregnancy and he explained to them that Giyuu was really worried about their reaction to the news. That was why he had told him to wait for him before telling them, but clearly Giyuu couldn't hide it anymore.
"When did you find out? About the pregnancy" his mother asked cautiously. Her eyes kept switching from her sleeping son to his mate that was sitting in front of her.
"Actually, we realised because his last heat cycle was late. We got worried, so we went to the doctor for a check up and that's how we found out.
Now he is almost two months pregnant and he has been a little emotional, his pheromones sometimes get out of control, like before.
He has been so worried and he is so stressed because of everything.
I feel so useless as his mate sometimes... Feels like my mother is helping him more than I do, even if I should know what to do after taking care of six siblings".
They stared at him, this young man that they mistakenly accused of trying to hurt their son, looking so defeated while talking about something that was clearly out of his control.
They could tell he felt responsible for everything and was doing his best, and that made them feel so guilty.
"We don't know a lot about omegas pregnancies, but as his mother, I can tell that you care for him and that you are doing your best. When he was talking about you, his eyes were sparkling.
Yuu is not the only one that is having a kid for the first time, you are too.
Having younger siblings can only help you that much after the baby is born, the pregnancy per se is something completely different and personal for each person. Maybe your mother has more experience, but only you can help him when he is like this. You just showed us, you were able to calm him down so quickly without saying a word because he clearly trusts you to help him and support him.
And you are both so young! It's normal to not know what you are doing or if you are doing it right, that's why you can come to us and your mother for help.
We know that we didn't have a great start and it was our fault. We were in the wrong three years ago, so let us fix that. Don't hesitate to come to us for anything, advice, support, to help you guys with the baby once they are born.
You are young, you are just starting your lives as adults, and as your parents, it's our job to help you. And I'm sure your mother thinks the same because we can tell that she raised you well and with a lot of love". While talking, she couldn't help but pat his head, something she used to do to her kids all the time when they were feeling down.
"Thank you, that means a lot to us. He always talks about his family, about his parents and his sister, he really cherishes all of you, and because of that he was so scared of losing or disappoint you, and I could only wait and tell him that I'd be right next to him to support him, I didn't know what else to do. It was hard to watch him worry. But now he can finally stop thinking about it and hopefully that will put his mind more at ease" finally he smiled, such a lovely and warm smile, the tension in his shoulders finally leaving his body, as if it was only waiting to hear those words of support.
"Well, let's stop with such depressing talk, let's change subjects. How about we show you his baby pictures? I'm sure he already saw yours so it's only fair you see his too!" exclaimed Tsutako, running to the shelf where their baby albums were stored.
"You know, 99% of these pictures were taken by dad, he was so proud of his little precious baby boy, even if his face doesn't show it" she explained as she opened the album in front of him.
"He did the same with you and you know it. It was like he wanted the whole world to know you guys were born, it was hilarious" said her mother, her hand moving to grab her husband's. His face showed a hint of blush blooming on his cheeks but he didn't dare to say a world.
"Look look, this was the day after he was born and they finally let me see him for the first time".
~
Someone was talking.
It didn't matter.
Right now Giyuu was feeling all fuzzy and warm, wrapped in his mate's scent.
He could hear his voice, near but not close to him, followed by another familiar voice.
Hmm, he wanted to go to him and cuddle, scent each other, maybe make out a bit...
But then the memories of what happened just earlier started to resurface quickly. The other voice, or rather, voices... Right he was at his parents house and he had told them everything, panicked and had to be calmed down and put to sleep by Sanemi. The embarrassment hit him all at once and he curled up, hiding his face with the jacket.
"This was his first day of middle school. He was so worried because he didn't know anyone but then he found out that his childhood friend, Sabito, was in the same class as him and that helped him a lot". What was his sister talking about?.
"I know him. It was through him that I met Giyuu. He became friends with my best friend, Masachika, during our second year of high school, and we met when they forced us to go out all together. At first I was worried and didn't want to go. I was fine being around the two of them, since they are betas, but hearing that there was going to be an omega... I didn't want to scare him. But now I'm glad I went. I'm indebted with those two for life.
I actually believe that they set us up on purpose because after a few times that we went out all together, they started to ditch us with one lame excuse after the other".
How embarassing! Why was Sanemi telling all that stuff to his family!
He felt his face heat up, remembering that it was actually him that asked his best friend to find some ways to leave him alone with the alpha and Sabito didn't waste time to enlist Masachika in it. He was going to take that secret to his grave.
"Oh, he's awake".
"How can you tell?" his mother asked, since she didn't notice any change in his son.
"His pheromones changed. They're always there, so I can always feel them, but depending on his state and emotions, they change slightly in strength and quantity. And right now they are telling me that he is awake and mortified because I'm talking too much" he explained, a hint of satisfaction and enjoyment in his voice.
Damn pheromones.
"You really need to stop doing that" he grumbled, moving to sit up from his sleeping position. He stared grumpily at Sanemi's smiling face but couldn't keep the facade up and melted in a little smile that screamed love and pride for his mate.
"I'm feeling so single right now" Tsutako mumbled, high enough for everyone to hear, making her parents laugh.
"You are literally married" said Giyuu, looking at her slightly confused.
"Yeah, but you know perfectly well that I'm staying with our parents because he is not here right now because of work and I need help with the kid".
In the meanwhile, Sanemi had walked up to Giyuu, smiling warmly while looking at his mate who was still talking with his sister. He could feel that all the tension had left Giyuu's mind and it felt as if a rock had been suddenly lifted from their shoulders.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. Even if he could tell from the pheromones, hearing Giyuu's answer always made him feel more at ease.
"Good, I just kinda wish I could disappear. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I should have waited for you, we should have just done this together".
"Mhh, I don't know, I think this situation made me win quite a few points with your parents. Jokes aside, you didn't do anything wrong, it wasn't wrong of you to want to meet them before I did to talk with them. I was just worried but I trust you and your decisions".
He pressed a light kiss on Giyuu's head, draping his hands around him, letting his pheromones wrap his mate from head to toes.
"I don't really remember, how did they take the new of the baby?" Giyuu whispered in his ear, staring at him, eyes full of hope.
"Everything's fine, they told me that we can ask them for help anytime, they are happy Yuu" he whispered back, stroking his back with a hand, while he laid the other one on his mate's flat belly.
"Come on now, you still haven't drunk your tea and your sister was telling me a lot of interesting stories about you". He laughed at Giyuu's desperate look that screamed 'Everything but that' and dragged him back to the table where his family was waiting for them.
"Sorry about before" were the only words that came out, but his mother just hugged and kissed him on the forehead. His sister smiled brightly at him and his father just stared at him with that warm look of silent support.
"Well as I was saying before..." Tsutako exclaimed, flipping the album page.
But she was interrupted again.
"Mommy, I heard a lot of noises... Who are those people?".
A little kid, around five, appeared at the door of the living room, still half asleep, holding tight a frog plushie in one hand.
"Oh baby, did we wake you up?" Tsutako asked, moving to reach him and lift him in her arms.
"I woke up by myself" the boy answered.
"What a good boy. Anyway, those people are your uncle Giyuu, who you have already met when you were a baby, but you were so little, of course you don't remember him, and his boyfriend Sanemi, so in a way, your new uncle" she explained, and she could see him focusing on their faces, probably trying to remember if he really did already meet his uncle Giyuu.
"They came to tell us that they're going to have a baby, so you are going to have a little cousin to play with! Isn't that fun?".
The boy stayed quiet for a while, then talked again.
"Does that mean that they'll get married like you and dad?" he asked, eyes shining.
Everyone in the room started to laugh loudly, everyone but Giyuu, that right now was really hoping he could just disappear in his seat.
~~~~~~~
2 years later
"Well, hello everybody and welcome! My name is Sabito and as we all know, today we are here reunited to celebrate the wedding of our two beloved young boys, Sanemi and Giyuu, that clearly couldn't keep their hands off each other till after the wedding, since here with me I have little Sora to keep me company, ain't that right sweetheart?" the man asked, bringing the microphone near the baby's mouth.
A loud "Tee-hee" echoed through the saloon and a mixture of laughter and cooing rose from the guests.
“Some of you may already know me, some not, I'm Giyuu’s childhood best friend and I've been there since day one. It was actually thanks to me and Masachika, Sanemi's best friend, that is filming this for me, that these two met.
Now, I'm here talking to you all because, as his best man, I'm supposed to make a speech about their love and bla bla, but I've got the living proof here in my arms so that won't be necessary" he paused and the room filled with laughter.
"I decided that instead I’m going to dispel a myth about how their relationship started”.
It was then that Giyuu understood his best friend's intentions, but it was too late.
Sanemi looked at his now husband with confusion and curiosity but Giyuu was avoiding his eyes like the plague.
"You see, this is something that not even Sanemi knows. It's an information that only Masa, Giyuu and I are privy to, and no one else. Giyuu probably thought that he was safe as long as things stayed like this, but I've been planning this since the beginning.
Everyone probably knows the short version, right? We forced them to go out all together but then Masa and me started to ditch them and we left them to hang out by themself and from there things evolved into a relationship. It looks like it was us that set everything up, right? We, amazing best friends, noticed that they were made for each other and we made sure to let them spend time together, right?".
Different “Right" came from all over the room.
“Ahh, dear my Sora, I'm totally telling you this story again when you are older and surrounded by siblings" tickling her lightly, making her laugh.
"Well, actually, the ‘mastermind’ behind everything was no one other than Giyuu!
You see, my dear friend got his eyes on Sanemi as soon as he saw him, and after a few nights of hanging out together, he came to me, eyes full of hope, and asked if I could find a way to leave them alone from time to time so that he could spend some alone time with him because <<I think I really like him but I'm too scared to ask him out yet>>. I think those were his exact words”.
Everyone started laughing, even Sanemi couldn't hold it in, especially after looking at Giyuu's red face.
"Since I am such an amazing friend, I talked to Masachika, who actually told me that, in his eyes, Sanemi looked kinda interested in Giyuu but, knowing his character, wouldn't let it show.
With that in mind, I knew we could become their cupids, so we started to ditch them, at first only one of us at the time and then both of us.
And since we are such good friends, we also became dates planners: we would tell them that we were going to hang out to a nice place, make all the reservations, and then leave them alone, hiding a few meters away, keeping an eye on the situation, asking the staff to serve ‘couple’ stuff.
So we really did all the hard work at the beginning”. Sanemi blushed a little at the knowledge that even those little things were planned by their friends.
“We only stopped after they became a couple, I’d say 21 ‘dates’ after? Correct me if I'm wrong, Masa.
But our role as best friends didn't stop there. Birthday presents, Christmas presents, Valentine presents, we would be forced to help them choose the ‘perfect gift’ for the other, and, of course, give them a few embarrassing ones as revenge.
Now we have been promoted from date planners to babysitters, which is okay, because our lil Sora is such a beautiful princess, but I don't see much of a difference, if anything there's half the workload since we went from two big babies to one”.
Masachika shouted "AGREED!” and everyone laughed again.
Sora was clearly having the time of her life, laughing in Sabito’s arms, not really understanding what was going on, while her parents were hiding their faces behind their hands while also laughing.
And while everyone was busy laughing and listening to what Sabito was adding to his speech, the two newlywed shared a sweet kiss, their eyes shining, full of love, hands intertwined, their hearts filled with promises and plans for the future, ready for a new chapter of their life, filled with loved ones.