Chapter Three

Mika wakes up to the feeling of someone shaking his shoulders violently. He jerks awake, dizzily taking in his surroundings. "Mmm?" He mumbles incoherently, his brain not functioning properly just yet. "What is it?"

Yuu's voice is sultry as he draws out his words. "Wake up, baby."

Mika's head snaps up, so quickly that psychedelic colors swirl in his vision, curling under his eyelids, and he nearly hits his head on the ceiling of the car from jumping in surprise.

Taking in his surroundings, Mika sighs in exasperation when he realizes he's still in Yuu's car; however, it is no longer moving. The car's engine, which purred and rattled before, had been shut off. Yuu swings his keyring on his finger lazily. "We're here."

Mika sits up, rubbing his eyes. "How long was I asleep for?" He asks groggily, voice thick with sleep. He hated waking up from naps; it always made him feel so discombobulated, and more often than not, he felt more tired than before.

"Couple hours."

Mika soon realizes he had been sleeping in an uncomfortable position, and his neck was now paying the consequences. He reaches over his shoulder to rub the tender spot and blinks a couple times to wake himself up. Once semi-functional, he is able to take a look around.

In the view of the front windshield is a grassy valley, with a large house sitting on the top of a hill. It is a Victorian-style, two story home, painted a sunshine yellow with white shutters and built on top of stone, overlooking a tiny garden filled with drooping yellow tulips and firebird nandinas. There is a large wooden porch on the front, with two porch chairs and a swinging bench. It reminds Mika of the type of houses little children scribble with crayons in kindergarten. The house is surrounded by trees, peppering the land in oranges, reds, and greens.

Mika quickly realizes Yuu's family must be rich, which comes as a shock to him, because Yuu acts like every other broke university student; eating fast food and cup noodles on the regular.

"Alright, you look like a zombie," Yuu comments when he sees Mika's deadened stare, and starts to get out of the car. "Let's get going, then. Don't want to keep the family waiting."

Upon mentioning the family, Mika feels apprehension rise in his chest, constricting his breathing. Family, he recalls. The people I have to impress for the next two weeks.

As he steps out of the car and wanders to the back trunk, Mika wonders if the rest of his family is like Yuu. Maybe Yuu's the odd one out, and the rest of his family would be a quiet bunch. He can picture it now; a mother cooking happily in the kitchen, the father reading by the fireplace, a baby girl coloring swirls on paper with rainbow markers. He sighs contently, dreaming of the peace he could have as long as he avoided Yuu as much as possible.

The loud screaming of a child quickly shatters that dream, however.

Mika looks up in terror to find that the screaming belongs to not one, but two children, both barreling towards Yuu's car as fast as their legs can go. A boy and a girl, they seem to be the same age - perhaps ten or eleven - most likely fraternal twins. The girl has similar features to Yuu; black hair, green eyes, set jawline, whereas the boy looks the exact opposite, having chocolate-brown hair and a matching eye color. They both take a flying leap and jump into Yuu's arms, who is waiting for them with open arms and a giant grin on his face.

"Yuu!" They squeal in unison, pulling him into an excited hug.

"Hey guys!" Yuu is just as excited to see them. They pull away from their hug, and Yuu ruffles their hair. "I missed you!"

"We missed you too!" The girl cheers, launching into a series of questions that makes Mika's head spin. "How is university? Are you failing all your classes? How's Shinoa? Who is that guy? Is he your friend?"

"Lucy, Noah, This is Mika," Yuu introduces him for the first time, jumping to the last question the girl, Lucy, demanded. Mika feels Yuu take a step toward him and snake an arm around his waist, pulling him closer. "My boyfriend."

"Uh, hey," Mika manages to say weakly to the children.

"You have a boyfriend? How is that even possible?" The boy, Noah, gapes in surprise. Mika's face turns to roses as he looks down at the small child. He is shorter than his sister, but his eyes burn with such an intensity it feels like he's seven feet tall.

"Well, I like girls and guys, you see," Yuu tries to explain, trailing off awkwardly.

"No, I mean, how did you get a boyfriend?" Noah clarifies, looking back and forth between the two, clearly still in shock. "He's way out of your league!"

The roses bloom in darker hues.

Mika knows he had to say something, anything. He goes for what seems like the best option; making a lighthearted joke.

"I know right?" He chuckles, agreeing with Noah as he punches Yuu in the arm teasingly. "How did you manage to pull that one off?"

Yuu has the same expression he usually does whenever Mika teases him, and it puts Mika at the slightest bit of ease. If he just pretends like things are normal between him and Yuu, maybe he can make it through these two weeks. Maybe.

"Guess I got lucky," Yuu's irritated expression shifts to an easy smile. Mika notices Yuu is the type to smile naturally on command; even when he's in the uncomfortable situation such as this one, he can smile and it actually looks genuine. Mika has to look away and finds himself being scrutinized by the girl.

"You're very pretty," She says bluntly.

"Okay, that's enough, guys," Yuu rolls his eyes, but he's laughing, clearly used to the candor in which his younger twin siblings speak. "Help us with our bags before one of you steals him away from me!"

The twins comply to Yuu's command and they both reach for the same bag on top. It's so heavy they struggle and eventually need Yuu's help to slide it out of the trunk. The suitcase falls with a loud thud on the cement driveway and Yuu exhales in relief. He hands Mika's and his backpacks to the kids, who happily sling them on their shoulders and they take off in a run towards the open garage. Mika is alone with Yuu again, who is bending over and grabbing the handle of his heavy suitcase. He seems to notice Mika's expression and asks, "You okay?"

If Mika wasn't mistaken, there was genuine concern laced in his tone, albeit slightly. His eyes are unwavering, blazing intensely.

"Yeah," Mika finally breathes out, trying to convince himself more than convince Yuu. "I'm great. Still confused on why you brought an inner tube, though."

"Oh!" Yuu brightens up considerably as he loops his arm around the donut-shaped inner tube. "I'll show you after we bring our stuff in!"

Mika takes his own suitcase, which is considerably smaller than Yuu's, out of the trunk and Yuu shuts it, locking it with his key. There is a comfortable silence about them, with Mika forcing himself to keep a straight face and mentally pep-talking himself into surviving. Mika is sure Yuu's melodrama has rubbed off on him somehow, because he's sitting here assuming this is going to be a life or death situation. How annoying, he thinks.

They enter the garage, which was the typical messy family garage, collecting dust and cobwebs and clutter. They maneuver between the parked SUV, exercise equipment, bicycles, an electric-blue canoe, and other miscellaneous paraphernalia people throw into their garages because they don't want to look at it, but can't bear to throw it away, either. Dropping the inner tube in the middle of the piles of junk, Yuu yanks the suitcase up the garage steps, struggling to lift the heavy suitcase. He unlocks the door and Mika feels his heart constrict.

Here we go.

- - - -

The smell of cinnamon and coffee, sharp and bitter, wraps its way around Mika's brain upon entering the home, and slowly he begins to feel again. Yuu kicks off his shoes into the corner, and Mika rolls his eyes at the fact that he's wearing mismatched socks (red foxes and pizza - he is sure Yuu was a literal child). For the briefest of moments, the house is still and quiet; Mika allows himself to drink in the details of the house.

They had entered through the door that led to the kitchen, a spacious room with pale blue walls, scrubbed hardwood floors, and whitewood and glass cabinets and appliances, save for the glossy black gas oven. Cookbooks of all sizes are displayed with bookends and a fruit bowl held pears, bananas, and apples. Looking over the counters, Mika sees a small table with four chairs, each with mismatched pillows. A bouquet of ivory roses is sitting in a glass vase in the center.

Mika probably got to take in his surroundings for ten seconds before Yuu shouts "I'm home!" and a nuclear explosion practically occurs.

"Yuichiro!" A voice shouts, and it reminds Mika of how Yuu sounds. A woman appears in the doorway that leads into what Mika assumes is the dining room, and Mika has to blink a couple times because he cannot believe what he's seeing. The woman is practically a split image of her son (or rather, he is a photocopy of her) and his little sister, and Mika feels like he's looking into Yuu's eyes, they're the exact same shade of green. Her hair, sleek and black like Yuu's, falls down past her bustline in a messy side braid. There is an apron tied around her waist, a bright yellow duster in another, and an infant girl on her hip.

"Mom!" Yuu practically squeals, and Mika bites his lip to keep from laughing in amusement as he lets go of his hand and practically flings himself into her arms. The baby girl giggles and starts to pull at his hair as they embrace.

"Did you have a safe trip? Please tell me you didn't eat McDonalds, I'm cooking you a special welcome home dinner and I will not have it spoiled by that greasy fast food," She nags. "Oh, you got taller. And gained some weight too. Are you eating properly at uni?"

"Yes, Mom," Yuu laughs, pulling away from the hug. He's holding the little girl, who has a mesmerized expression on her face. "And no, we didn't stop anywhere for food. I'm hungry, though! What are you making!" He wanders towards the oven, opening it. "Chicken! Nice!"

"Yuichiro, you're so rude, talking about food without introducing your friend here," It is the first time his mother mentions Mika, and he feels intimidated by her strong gaze.

"Boyfriend," Yuu corrects. He is munching on a Granny Smith apple now, and she shoots daggers at him with her eyes before shifting her expression drastically, warmly regarding Mika. "Hi, I'm Kaori Hyakuya! It's nice to meet you, um..."

"Mika," He finishes for her. He bows respectfully, prepared to be the perfect polite (fake) boyfriend. "Thank you very much for your hospitality this holiday weekend."

"Oh, it's no problem, honey, we're happy to have you here! Sorry I'm a mess, I've been cleaning all day," Kaori apologizes with a nervous laugh. "And this one has been attached to my hip all afternoon after her dad left to go run errands.

"Your daughter is very cute," Mika compliments politely, watching bemusedly as she tugs at Yuu's ear, much to his chagrin. He offers her his finger, which she grasps onto with her chubby, rubber-band-wrist hand.

"She's not my sister," Yuu explains. "She's my niece; my older brother's daughter."

"You have another brother?" Mika gasps in genuine surprise. "Just how many siblings do you have?"

Yuu looks like he's about to say something, but catches himself just in time. "Four," He answers blunty. "Takishi is the oldest, then me, then my younger sister Hana, and then Lucy and Noah, the twins. Takashi has two kids, Hinata and Aoi, aged three and one respectively."

Mika must've had an awestruck look on his face because he comes to to the sound of Yuu snapping in his face. "Earth to Mika," He jokes.

"What a busy household," Mika comments, acting like he hadn't just spaced out.

"Just you wait until my cousins come later this week," Yuu agrees. "Mom, just where are we staying anyway? And how are we going to fit all of sixteen of us in this house?"

Mika falls into the depths of his mind once again as he worries about putting on a facade for sixteen strangers, and suddenly he is spinning; spiraling down into darkness until he feels a hand on his shoulder and it melts away.

"Come on, let's go take our bags upstairs," Yuu says quietly, and Mika manages a nod before smiling at his mother one last time. Kaori says something about how nice it is to finally meet the boy Yuu's been talking about, but Mika is not listening as he follows Yuu down the hall and around the corner, where a carpeted staircase leads upstairs. Mika finds himself struggling to look anywhere besides the way Yuu's jeans are hanging low on his hips as they lug their suitcases up the stairs, and before he knows it, he's blushing.

Thankfully, Yuu doesn't notice the way Mika's face resembles that of cherry blossoms and leads him to one of the rooms on the right side of the hall. The door is covered in posters that say KEEP OUT, a green street sign that says Yuichiro St, and even a real-life stop sign that Mika wondered if Yuu stole.

His bedroom is exactly as Mika would expect it; completely disorganized. The bedroom itself it tiny, only barely large enough to hold a cluttered desk, a bookshelf filled with knickknacks and a bed. Mika notices their backpacks have been tossed by the bedside. There is a thick plush rug that covers half of the space, and Mika wriggles his toes, enjoying how soft it feels. Yuu seems to be relaxed, however, and he sighs loudly in relief and flops on his bed after shoving his suitcase in a corner.

Mika stops looking at the glow-in-the-dark stars and moons stuck to the ceiling and notices just how tiny the bed is. He could barely fit in it himself, let alone with another fully-grown man. Surely they don't expect us to share...

"Oh," Yuu must know what he's thinking, because he stares at the ground. "I can sleep on the floor, if you'd like."

"Yeah," Mika breathes out nervously, not allowing himself to look at the bed any longer. His gaze shifts to photographs on one wall, covered from floor to ceiling, bordered by a string of unlit fairy lights. It is overwhelming, like mismatched puzzle pieces that somehow come together to make a collage of memories. Mika takes a step closer, getting a better look at them. There are a lot of photos of family and friends, some of which he recognized, like Shinoa and Yoichi, but there were a lot more unknown faces. There is a photo of him at what he assumes to be prom, his arm looped around a brown-haired girl's waist, smiling cheesily next to Shinoa and Mitsuba. There is a selfie of him and Yoichi at a football game, with both in olive green and white colors and black streaks of paint on their cheeks, waving matching green pennant flags.

Yuu notices what he's staring at and moves to the wall, where he flicks one of the light switches and the fairy lights illuminate. The shadows cast something soft and gentle on Mika's face as he tries to look at every single photograph.

"This is so cool," Mika says breathlessly as his eyes travel up to admire more of the less-visible photos. As Mika looks at more at them, he realizes a lot of them do not have any people in them at all, but rather scenery and other subjects. Still, they are amazingly composed, the type of photos that make you feel something.

"Thanks," Mika practically hears the grin on Yuu's face. "I took them all myself. Pretty neat, right?"

"You like photography?" Mika finally breaks his gaze away to incredulously look at Yuu.

Unamused, Yuu rolls his eyes and scoffs. "Well, duh. I am a photography major, after all," He says this like it's the most obvious thing in the world, and a pang of guilt strikes Mika's chest when he realizes he had no idea Yuu was so passionate about something he wanted to pursue it as a career. "You didn't know? Really? I have my camera with me all the time."

"I guess I thought you were in yearbook or the newspaper or something," Mika admits guiltily. Or maybe he always assumed Yuu majored in Theatre considering he was such a drama queen. It makes him think about how boring choosing Literature as a major was, and suddenly, he's lost in thought. What am I passionate about? He wonders, and it is unsettling to realize he doesn't have an answer to that question.

"Nah. Though, I kind of understand. I don't really talk about it much," Yuu says.

"Why not?"

"A lot of people don't think it's practical. I can't even count how many times people have told me I should've majored in dentistry or law or something incredibly boring." With a yawn, Yuu stretches his arms out and takes a look at his photography wall. "I guess those people don't realize what it's like to want to do something that makes you happy, not what makes you rich."

"People have different ideas on what they think makes you succeed at life," Mika muses.

"You're right," Yuu agrees with a small sigh. There is something scary in his eyes, the emerald green darkening to the shade of deep forest pools, and Mika isn't sure if he wants to know what it is. When he blinks, the color dissipates and suddenly, he is smiling mischievously.

"Come on, follow me. I want to show you something." He offers Mika his hand.

Mika knows his eyes must have widened at his extended palm, but Mika finds himself not thinking and choosing to take it, ignoring the way his cool hands leaves sprinkles of constellations across his skin. It is all for the lie, Mika tells himself. It means nothing.

He means nothing.

Mika follows him anyway.

- - - -

A/N: Sorry for the late(ish) update, I've been super busy with the musical I was in, lol! This Thanksgiving weekend I will be in the car a lot so hopefully I will have lots of time to write :) Thoughts on this chapter?