(Y/n) stood in front of the Miyahara mansion completely petrified for a solid bit of time. She felt a great guilt press down on her chest as she was forced to stare at a certain car. It was a car she knew very well. It was an overly elaborate car that only a vain narcissist would ever consider to be classy. And it was right in front of Hideki's garage. That could only mean one thing. Ichika was back.

As soon as she was forced to come to that realization, the younger girl bolted to the front door, flinging it open. She couldn't find Takuya no matter how much she looked. She couldn't even find a single servant around to ask about his whereabouts nor the woman she very much suspected for his disappearance. She wasn't in her room, she wasn't in the living room, and she wasn't anywhere inside at all. As (Y/n) reached for her phone, she heard a little peep of noise coming from the backyard, and when the girl peeked her head to see, everyone was gathered in the garden.

Considering Ichika's personality, it was probably expected she would make a big deal about her grand return. It was just "convenient" she left the younger girl out of it all. Though, she had gone and dragged the white-haired male to stand behind her like a pet. She knew damn well all of her power and influence came from her son, so she couldn't very well exert her power over everyone if he was gone, too. It was fascinating to see how she positioned him in a way that gave her the confidence to go and reorganize the staff as she pleased. She probably thought she could get away with it, too, since the younger girl was out of the house.

As (Y/n) glanced over at the ravenette standing by the woman's side, she wouldn't have been shocked if he leaked the information. After all, the only smart thing the white-haired woman ever did was avoid her at all costs. She was well aware she wouldn't win any fights against her. That was why Isao was forced to be the mediator. Still, the look on his face told her that he was far from happy about the woman's return. (Y/n) couldn't help but wonder why.

"It's nine in the morning," the younger girl huffed loudly, everyone turning their attention to her, "Way too early for all this."

It took Takuya all of a millisecond to brighten up upon seeing her. The male, interestingly enough, didn't even look up at his mother for permission to leave his spot, darting over to his sweetheart. He threw his arms around her in a tight hug, clearly very delighted to see that she had returned after all. The male then put on a puppy-like frown, on the verge of tears as he tried to explain away not being there to greet her at the door. She couldn't blame him. Ichika probably dragged him out with her. He didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Do...Do you still want me to make you waffles?" he asked quietly, darting his eyes down at the ground.

"No," she sighed, pulling him down to kiss him on the forehead, "I don't think I'm going to be very hungry."

"What do you...Oh! I-I'm so sorry! I forgot to call you and tell you mother came home! W-Well, I remembered! I just...I thought you would be mad if I contacted you before you came home, and I was worried you wouldn't let me move in with you if I made you mad, and - "

"It's alright. Can you go and wait in my room for me?"

"I-In...your room?"

"Please?"

Takuya flushed, almost embarrassed by the request. Of course, he was more than willing to do whatever she said. Though, going into her room, no matter how many times he did it, made him feel nervous. Maybe (Y/n) thought he was hesitating to listen to her because of that. She ended pulling him down for a soft kiss on the lips, the older male leaning into her obediently. He was so happy she wasn't mad at him anymore, hoping to keep her like that by listening and heading inside.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The white-haired male flinched. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of his mother's voice, uncontrollably shivering. When she had that tone of voice, it meant she was displeased, which, in turn, meant he was going to be taught better. He...didn't want that. If she taught him, he would be in pain. Even as an adult, that lesson had been etched into his entire being, enough so to twist his perception of right and wrong.

Ichika was cold. She never cared about him. He probably knew that deep down but he would never admit that out loud. Ever since he was little, she had been forcing it into his head that he should always, always, always obey her words no matter what. It also meant that there were harsh consequences that came along with disobeying her. Though he blocked out many memories of that, he still had so many more that refused to be forgotten.

On the other hand, (Y/n), though she may have appeared distant from him, truly cared about him. He knew that, too. It might not have been the kind of love that he wanted from her but she still gave up so much of her personal time and energy to dote on him. She gave him the confidence and happiness that his mother would never have permitted him to have.

The answer of who to listen to should have been simple. But he knew that the (h/c) haired girl would forgive him whereas Ichika would not, and, ultimately, as always, he chose to listen to his mother. It wasn't really his fault either. He chose the option that would result in the least amount of pain for himself and others. Even so, as she folded her arms over her chest, (Y/n) couldn't help but feel disappointed. All the hard work she had been doing to erase Takuya's bad habits disappeared in the blink of an eye in front of that demoness.

"I'm sorry, mother," the male shivered, even bowing his head to appease her, "I-I'll stay."

"Of course you will. I haven't excused you yet."

Ichika put on the cockiest little smirk (Y/n) had ever seen in her life. Truly, that woman must have enjoyed tormenting others more than being loved. There wasn't a single person that found her tolerable, and yet, still, she found her happiness in ripping away other peoples' joy. Seeing her son shuffle back behind her and away from his lover must have been the highlight of her day. She did so enjoy flaunting the results of her abuse over the younger girl.

"I didn't get any news you would be coming today," the (h/c) haired girl scoffed, holding her head up high to match the woman's infuriating arrogance.

"I wasn't aware I had to report to you for me to come to my own home."

"It's common courtesy to inform the owner of the house, who - I'll remind you - is not you. Moreover, since I'm the one who's in charge of the staff, I would have been able to arrange a nice welcome for you - while hiding our younger workers for the duration of your stay, of course."

"Well, I may not be the owner of this house but I am his wife. And I so do appreciate you taking on all my work but the lady of the house is back, so you shouldn't worry your pretty little head about it, Ms. Shiratori."

"I think I will worry about it. You do remember what Hideki said, right? That the moment Takuya and I marry, you will no longer be the lady of the house? That Hideki will step down and have Takuya replace him?"

"I remember just fine. But I can't help but wonder why you're dragging it out this long. It really is humiliating for me to explain away why my son isn't even engaged yet when you two have been together so long. I wonder...if Takuya is having second thoughts?"

The male in question flinched and stepped forward to dismiss that - that he loved the younger girl dearly and wanted nothing more than to marry her. Though, his courage to talk back to the woman disappeared the moment they made eye contact. He lost all will to fight, his heart thumping as though he was face to face with a wild beast. The male didn't want to be swallowed alive. He couldn't help but mutter a faint apology for even trying to stand up to her, submissively lowering his head and holding his hands behind his back.

"Regardless," Ichika continued, tapping her fan against her cheek, "I remain the lady of the house and you remain nothing more than an 'interest'. Rest assured, I'll have the staff work to their full potential, unlike as they were permitted to do under your lacking instruction."

"And what was I lacking?"

"Take a look around you. When I ran the estate, everything was spotless and not a single flower was out of place. The staff bowed to me unprovoked and they didn't chatter meaninglessly with one another. This might do in a nouveau riche household but not in the Miyahara family."

"Hideki had nothing but praises for me."

"Well, that man has about as much taste as his son."

"Which is the only way to explain him marrying you."

At that, the woman's brow twitched. She disliked whenever anyone brought up her marriage, which was exactly why (Y/n) always went there. Hideki didn't love her. He felt responsible for her after waking up with her next to him in bed with no recollection of the previous night. And though the younger girl doubted they actually did anything, she knew how persuasive the woman could be and how gullible Hideki was. The younger girl never brought it up, but she wouldn't be surprised if it turned out Takuya wasn't actually his son. She wouldn't put it past Ichika to pass off the child of another fling as his and reap the benefits.

"Either way, I think I'll be staying here a very long time. No matter how much you dislike it, you'll have to put up with my rules."

"I don't think I do, actually. See, I just received confirmation that my new place is ready for me to move into. Your rules don't apply there."

Ichika still held a smirk on her face before she turned to Takuya, probably about to lord it over the younger girl that he would still be under her rules. However, the white-haired male had a look of absolute joy as he heard the news, a bit jittery, even. Suddenly, her features contorted in realization, eyes snapping back to the younger girl in anger. This time, (Y/n) put on the arrogant grin, placing her hand on her hip.

"Takuya," she cooed, reaching out her hands in a welcoming manner, "Should we grab your things?"

This time, his mother didn't even get the chance to threaten him. He never glanced over at her. His eyes were fixated on his lover and his lover alone, the male running in to receive a hug and nuzzle her. The male couldn't even believe it. He had been waiting to move in with her for so long it seemed like a dream. As she distracted him by asking what he wanted to eat to celebrate their move in, his mother was left behind, given a taunting smirk by the younger girl. Her fan snapped in two.

"Ichika?" Isao asked in concern, "Are you - "

The ravenette paused, his mind going blank as he registered the woman slapping him across the face. However, when his cheek began stinging, he winced, unfamiliar with the pain. The male pressed his hand against the area, trying to stop the stinging sensation, only for the woman to realize what she did, too. Her expression softened before she tried to rectify what she did, reaching forward in an attempt to comfort him. For the first time, he stumbled back away from her, quickly darting his eyes to the side.

"I'm so sorry, handsome. I must have - "

"'m fine! Uh, can I go...take care of this?"

"Let me. I feel terrible. It looks like it really hurt, too, but I have some salve we can put on it to make it feel better."

"That's alright. I can take care of it by myself, so - "

"I'll have you feeling incredible. Don't worry."

Isao didn't say anything after that. He couldn't. The male just let himself be dragged away, trying to ignore the invasive glares everyone was giving him. Even Kohaku seemed disgusted. Though, it was hard to tell if it was directed at him or the woman in front of him. Either way, he was humiliated, and, truth be told, he wasn't so sure he was ready for her to touch him again. Ever since (Y/n) had challenged him to better himself, he started wondering about things. Was it...wrong that he was envious of Takuya?

While he was whisked away by Ichika, unable to say anything, the white-haired male was being bombarded with attention. He didn't really have much he wanted to bring to the new house. After all, there was already furniture and stuff, so it was up to him to decide what was important to bring along. He was told that there would be people moving (Y/n)'s things to the house, so he could just wait. Though, he didn't want to wait anymore, so he kept scavenging around for things that were precious to him. Most of it had to do with her. But there was one object that was unique to him.

Takuya was very gentle as he picked up a certain fairy tale. He'd been carrying it around with him ever since he was very young, going to great lengths to take care of it. The male kept it locked behind a protective glass box. Just seeing the cover brought him great relief, so it wasn't so surprising he chose to take it along with him. Even if it didn't have sentimental value to him, it certainly had value in its age. It was speculated to be at least a thousand years old. There was also the fact it was a gift that came directly from the emperor.

The white-haired male was suddenly put in a bind as he glanced down at the book and the bag he had packed everything else in. He probably realized he would have to carry them both at the same time. Of course, he could always take one to the car and come back to grab the other but he didn't want to waste any time getting to the new house. So, gently, because he could not burden (Y/n) with the heavy bag, he passed her his precious book. And though he no doubt trusted her, he still gave a saddened look, begging her to take good care of it.

It caught her off guard, actually. She held the book tightly, wanting to validate the male's trust in her, but she couldn't understand why he would have given it to her. He never let anyone else touch the book. Even when he went to get it professionally cleaned and repaired, he hovered around nervously and cast suspicious glances at the person handling it. To her knowledge, he didn't even let his father touch it. She supposed she was touched, a bit of pink appearing on her cheeks as she walked with him to the car.

"Is that all you plan to take today?"

"Yes. It's all I need, so I can wait for the movers to grab the rest, right?"

The girl nodded, watching his soft smile widen a bit. The driver helped him with the bag, placing it in the trunk while he hopped in. When the younger girl took her seat next to him, she was a bit thrown off when he immediately snatched his book back. All the same, he did lean on her shoulder, snuggling up to her. It was probably his absent-minded way of assuring her she shouldn't be offended. He really was obsessed with that book, stroking its cover the entire drive to their new house.

Just as she had promised, the (h/c) haired girl had everything ready. Takuya held her hand tightly as she guided him to the front door, pushing it open for him to gawk. He, of course, was unsure at first, much like a bunny would be when introduced to a new home. The male didn't let go of her hand to inspect something. He just tugged her along after him as he took a closer look at all the decor. It was pretty much all to her liking.

A wave of sadness flowed over him temporarily. It would have been so romantic picking out things together. He had already fantasized about trying out couches. They would have sat down together and gotten comfortable, the younger girl letting him lay down on her lap. It would have been an entire day of just snuggling on different seats, couches, beds, etc. The thought that she chose not to do that made him very wistful. The house already felt foreign enough to him. It would have been nice to come to the house with memory-filled furniture. It might have helped him feel more secure.

Despite his excitement about moving into the place, it was still on the condition that he become (Y/n)'s official boyfriend. Another benefit would be getting to sleep with her on the same bed every night. Without those two things, he would have never agreed to leave his family's mansion. Maybe he was really bad at hiding his frown. He must have been since the younger girl tugged him gently to their room, perhaps in an attempt to cheer him up or show him what he was being brave for.

It worked a bit. Their room was beautiful and modern, not unlike his room back at the other mansion. She worked in his favorite colors, too. In fact, it looked like it was solely designed for him, black and white decorations and a minimalistic appearance forcing him to feel just a bit better. The only thing that differed from his room, really, was the bed. It wasn't in the corner. Though, in a king-sized bed, that would have made it difficult to get out of.

"Is it...alright?" (Y/n) asked hesitantly, unsure what to take away from his reaction.

He didn't respond verbally. He was a bit too lost inside his own head to do that, just giving her a little nod as he explored the rest of the room. Taking her along with him, he peeked into every little corner, investigating the walk-in closet and bathroom. The male remembered taking the tour of the place before but it was different now with all the decor and everything. As he was trying to make his mind up about whether or not he liked it, he felt a warm hug from behind. Softening just a bit, he gave a small hum and enjoyed her embrace.

"It's really ours?"

"Yeah. No one will come here unless we say so."

They stood like that for a while, Takuya only moving to lean into her a bit more, still holding on tightly to his book. It was quiet in that house. He knew the younger girl had already hired some staff but it was still quiet. Maybe they wouldn't come until later. He didn't know. And, truth be told, he couldn't tell whether he liked the silence or not. But when (Y/n) kissed him softly, he was reassured. As long as he was with her, he was certain he would be fine.

The day was spent getting Takuya used to the place. The more time he spent in the house, the more he came to terms with it. It may not have been an instant love for the place but he was learning to love it. Interestingly, he was very lethargic whenever they went to a new room, simply laying down next to the (h/c) haired girl and hugging his book to his chest. She would pet his hair and he would sigh, the two of them sitting there until he stood up and led her to another room.

Before they knew it, the sun had already set. Their first meal consisted of takeout, of which they ate on the balcony, overlooking the garden. Takuya didn't eat much. He just stared into the distance, confused by the view. It was like he was waiting for someone to force him back to his home. But his mother never came. Still, when it came to go to sleep, he was shivering, unable to look the younger girl in the eyes.

He thought he was prepared for what would come next. It wasn't as though he didn't have any knowledge on the subject. Takuya knew more than he ever needed to know, practiced more than he ever needed to practice, and saw more than he ever needed to see. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't know how to do. Still, he shook in horror, lost in his own little world of fears, wondering how he would be punished if he messed up.

(Y/n) expected as much. She had never given him the indication she wanted to have physical intimacy with him as repayment for the house but she knew he would think of it anyway. If only Ichika had come back a day later. No memories would have popped up in his head and Takuya wouldn't have been as terrorized. But with just a few hours, she managed to worm her way into his head and gnaw away at all of his self-worth. The girl sighed, and, in response, Takuya flinched, wondering if he had already failed.

As he turned around to attempt to explain himself and beg her to let him try and please her, he flinched when she put her hand on his book. His first instinct was to pull it away from her, only to pause. He couldn't make her angry. It must have broken his heart to see her take it away. It broke hers, too, largely because the look on his face strongly insisted he didn't trust her with it anymore. That was how Ichika's torment hurt him. Suddenly, the moment she was in his head, he had nothing to hide behind.

The (h/c) haired girl slowly placed the book in her lap, noting how his gaze was on it instead of her. She didn't really know why he was so obsessed with the fairy tale. She just knew it was the only thing that always brought him comfort. Reaching out her hand, she avoided touching him directly, tugging his sleeve to guide him next to her. He still shivered, eyes focused on her lap, especially when she opened it.

"Do you think...I could read it with you?"

"But...But I thought - Aren't we - Don't I have to - "

"No. I'm not punishing you either, okay? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Are you...mad at me? Did I mess up? I really - "

"If you really want to make me happy, come here and let me read you this story. That's really all I want, Takuya. I want to know why you like this book so much and I want to go to sleep cuddling. So, can we...do that?"

The male clearly still held reservations. He still thought it was his responsibility to touch her; that he shouldn't let her go to sleep without making her satisfied. The strained way he looked at her showed his hesitation, and, though she had never tried it before, she gave him the same look of desperation. It must have moved him, the male quietly laying down beside her and claiming her arm for his own as he curled up as close to her as possible. The faint shaking he did faded as she read through the fairy tale, the male relaxing into her like it was magic.