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dracothedeatheatingcupcake-ao3 · 2 years ago

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Chapter 4 The Ultimate Fake Boyfriend.

You know what? I just realized that I never posted the last chapter I did for The Ultimate (Fake) Boyfriend. This chapter is not complete unfortunately. I think I was trying to finish it but ran into some problems, which I did fix, but made it harder for me to find the energy to keep going with the story. Oof.

Anyway! Here is the unfinished chapter 4 (the last chapter I have written) for my mini fic TUFB. It introduces some more OC characters, so be warned. If anyone wants to know what ideas I had/have for the rest of this story, feel free to send me an ask and I can write them all down! I have this entire story mapped out in my head and know exactly where I want it to go, which is part of the problem. To me, it's already finished. I just have to write it all down for y'all to enjoy it, which is the tedious part. 😬 Oh well. Maybe one day... if I ever finish TPWM.

Last thing! I have another Ishimondo fic that is in similar WIP Hell. Would anyone be interested in seeing it here? It's based on that tweet by... someone from Danganronpa (I forget who at the moment and am too tired to go looking) about how Mondo and Taka would move in after high school and be too stupid to realize they're in love, or something. In this fic, they're in their mid twenties and Mondo is the one who is too stupid to realize he's in love, though it's questionable if Taka realizes it, since the fic is in Mondo's POV. The only chapter fully finished is the first, but I have a lot of small scenes written for later chapters that make some sense alone. I also really like the first chapter, ha. Anyway, let me know if you'd be interested! If even one person comments or messages me about it I'll work towards posting it. ^-^

(Here are the previous chapters if you want to refresh before this one, since it's been a bit.)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

4 The Ultimate (Fake) Boyfriend.

Mondo spends the next hour lying down quietly while his kyoudai sleeps, his eyes closed but sleep not finding him. He didn’t expect it to, though, so it’s not like he minds. He mostly just wants to be close to Taka, really. It relaxes him more than words can say to just let his kyoudai hold him, not worrying about ‘manliness’ or being weak or whatever other bullshit he usually worries about. Maybe it’s pathetic, but he knows Taka won’t judge him. He… he never fucking does.

However, lying still has never been something Mondo’s been particularly good at, so in order to not die of boredom, he lets his mind wander, flitting between various thoughts and daydreams. He makes sure to steer clear of anything that would anger or upset him, not wanting to ruin the peace being held by Taka has given him.

At some point during his musings, he lets his thoughts turn to Taka, a smile rising on his lips as he thinks of his kyoudai. Of all the things they’ve done together and the many good times they’ve had. Like the first time he convinced the dude to go out on his hog, Taka screaming his head off the entire time, arms so tight around Mondo’s waist that he’s positive he had almost bust a rib. But then, once they stopped, Taka had had the brightest grin, claiming that the ride made him feel /exhilarated/. Or the time he took Taka to meet Daiya for the first time, Mondo so fucking nervous that they wouldn’t like one another, only to feel so fucking relieved when the two got on like a house on fire. Taka had even been very respectful about Dai’s injuries that he’s been struggling with since the crash, somehow managing to be both considerate and helpful while not being condescending. Or their ‘epic’ snowball fight that first winter, which slowly turned into an all out war between them, with multiple classmates slowly getting roped into the expanding battle. Or… well. The list goes on and on, really. It makes his smile widen to think of how much he and Taka have done together. How much the teen has helped him over the past years.

And he has. Helped him. So goddamn much. In so many different ways. Case in point, Mondo never would have had the guts to sign up for that woodworking elective class that Hope’s Peak offers if not for Taka’s enthusiastic encouragement, the hall monitor telling him all the goddamn time how he believed that Mondo could do it. That Mondo wouldn’t fail at it like he feared he would, that he wouldn’t prove himself right about how there is absolutely no future available to him. Taka had slowly but surely convinced him to try it even despite his fears, and now woodworking is his favorite fucking class, the only one he honestly feels /excited/ to attend.

He still doesn’t think he’s that great at it, but he’s built so many fucking things for his room now, like a slightly crooked chair, and a surprisingly stable shelf. Not to mention all of things he’s whittled, since he finds that whittling actually helps calm him down after one of his rages. His first projects looked like utter shit, looking nothing like he wanted, but his more recent ones have started looking almost decent. And he just… he never would have gained the courage to take the class if not for his kyoudai. Nor would he have had the confidence to keep going after all of his numerous fuck ups during the first few weeks.

The point is… honestly, he doesn’t know the point. Just… Taka is important. So fucking important. And as he lies on Taka’s broad, surprisingly comfortable chest, letting his mind wander down the memories he treasures the most, feeling so warm and full inside even despite the earlier negative emotions and uncertainty… he remembers why he’s doing this. And why he has to ensure he doesn’t screw this up. Outside of Daiya, Taka is easily the most important person in his life. He’s even surpassed the gang, he’s that fucking important. He’d walk through hell and back for his kyoudai, he truly would. And part of him thinks that Taka would do the same for him, even if he’d never want the teen to go through anything like that for his sake. It’s give and take, really. That’s why they work so well.

Mondo continues to daydream for most of the afternoon, not sure what time it is since his phone is in his pocket and there are no windows in this tiny ass, dark as shit closet, but it doesn’t matter. Taka has a frighteningly accurate internal clock that somehow always wakes him up exactly when he needs to be up for any given event, with time to spare to get ready. Mondo relies on that internal clock a lot, honestly.

However… it’s after what Mondo assumes must be around an hour that something changes in their little space. And it has nothing to do with Taka.

At first, Mondo isn’t entirely sure what it is. His eyes are closed and nothing has really changed from what he can tell, but just… shit. He can’t fucking explain it, but there’s just something /different/ about the room now. He furrows his brow as he thinks about this, examining his surroundings as best he can. Listening close, he can still hear the faint sound of people talking and passing through rooms, the same shit he’s been hearing this entire time since the walls are thin as shit in this place. So, it’s not that that’s different. It’s nothing he can smell either. Thinking on it, it’s more… a feeling. Like… like he’s being /watched/ or something. But that’s fucking ridiculous. It’s just him and Taka in this small, dark closet…

Right?

A minute passes, the sense he’s being watched growing with each passing second, until Mondo can’t take it anymore. With a heavy sigh, he opens his eyes and lifts his head from Taka’s chest, even though he’d been trying not to do that and break the peace inside him. Feeling annoyed at himself, he turns towards the door and lets his eyes land on the doorway.

And promptly finds a pair of eyes staring back at him.

“The fuck…?” Mondo mutters, blinking in shock, immediately on alert. He half sits up, forgetting everything as he looks at the unexpected intruder. As he does so, he realizes that one of the things he’d subconsciously noticed earlier was that it’s now a bit brighter inside the room. With the door closed, the closet had been mostly dark, with only a little light leaking in through the thin sliding door. Now, though, the door is open, causing the figure to be silhouetted by the faint light from the hallway. As such, all he can see are their wide eyes and their silhouetted head, which seem to be tilted in question. What in the goddamn fuck…

“That’s a bad word,” the intruder claims, their voice far higher and younger sounding than he’d been expecting. Blinking, Mondo squints and forces his eyes to adjust to the light, and is absolutely floored to see a young child standing in the doorway of the closet, still mostly shrouded in shadow, though he can make out some details. Like how their eyes seem to be bright red. Which is, uh… shit. Not good. “Mommy says that you shouldn’t say bad words. It’s not nice.”

Mondo can only blink at the words, his mind blanking as he’s faced with what must be another of Taka’s cousins, though this one is a lot smaller than he’s used to dealing with. Mondo honestly can’t recall the last time he’s been around a goddamn /kid/. Shit, he doesn’t think he’s done that since he was a kid himself. Fuck… and of course he would fucking /swear/ in front of one of the literal worst persons to swear in front of, god fucking dammit…

“Uh… y-yeah. Yer, uh… yer ma’s right. Ain’t good ta swear. Sorry,” Mondo mumbles, too taken aback to remember to use his more ‘respectable’ voice. He’s just so fucking floored. And kind of tired. While he hadn’t been sleeping, it had been very peaceful to lie on Taka and just daydream. Having to face a kid, let alone one of Taka’s endless fucking cousins immediately after that is… yeah. Not fun. Especially since Taka is, of course, merrily sleeping on, none the wiser that one of his cousins is standing there, watching him sleep…

Thankfully, the kid doesn’t seem put off by his accent. From what he can see, the kid just gives him a toothy grin, head still titled.

“That’s okay! Just don’t do it again, or else mommy will wash your mouth out with soap like she did with my ani when he said a bad word. Why are you lying on cousin Taka?” the kid asks quickly, not giving him much time to process whatever they’re saying. And he’s not sure, since they’re still mostly in shadow, but based on how high pitched the voice is, Mondo thinks the kid may be a girl… or a very high pitched boy. Which is also possible, especially with young kids. Shit.

“Uh… w-well, we’re uh… ya know. Together,” Mondo states awkwardly, shifting so he’s fully seated, though he makes sure to leave Taka the blanket. Sitting up puts him about eye level with the kid, which honestly makes him feel a little better, since he can at least see them better now. They look young, but not super young, so he guesses they’re not Samantha then…

“What does that mean?” the kid asks before he can try and figure out which kid this is, flooring him again. Uh… shit. How to fucking explain this in a way a kid will understand…

“Uh… it means we’re datin’,” Mondo says slowly. When the kid doesn’t show any signs that they understand, Mondo awkwardly tries to explain a different way. “Uh… like… ya know. We go out on dates together an’ stuff. An’… we uh… ya know. Love each other? Uh…”

Despite himself, Mondo feels his cheeks heat up at that last part. While it’s not unusual for a couple who is dating to be in love, it makes him feel weird to say that kind of shit about him and Taka, even if just an act. And it’s not like he doesn’t love Taka, right? He does. Very much so. Just… as a friend. A brother. Not like /that/. Not… ya know. Romantically.

At least that seems to make sense to the kid, as their eyes light up, nodding their head quickly as they smile at him.

“Oh! Like mommy and daddy, right?”

Mondo blinks once, before nodding slowly, giving a single shrug.

“Uh… yeah, kinda. I’m his boyfriend,” Mondo explains further, wondering if the kid will question that too. However, it seems that they understand that one, since they nod again, still smiling.

“Cool! What’s your name?” the kid asks, eyes wide as they lean into the closet, closer to him.

Mondo pauses, debating if he should answer or not, remembering what happened the last time he gave his name. Well… it would be rude not to�� and it’s unlikely that a kid would know who the fuck he is, so… whatever. Fuck it.

“Uh… I’m Mondo. Mondo Owada.”

Like he’d expected, the kid shows no sign that they recognize his name. They just nod quickly, smile still bright.

“Cool!! I’m Rini, wanna go see my dollies? I have soooo many at home, but mommy told me I could only bring three with me. I brought Ren and Ruki, who are sisters who hate each other and are fighting for the love of Haru. He’s the third dolly I brought. You can be Haru if you wanna, since you’re a boy!”

Mondo stares at the kid— who he now realizes is, indeed, a girl, and is also sadly the youngest daughter of Taka’s fucking homophobic aunt— without a single clue as to what to say. Obviously, he doesn’t want to do that shit; he’s almost a grown ass man, he doesn’t fucking /play with dolls/. But how to say that without hurting the kid’s feelings…? Like he said, he doesn’t spend time with kids much, but he knows better than to be an asshole to a fucking /kid/. That shit’s about as bad as punching an old lady. Maybe even worse, really.

Fortunately (or not…), before Mondo has to figure out how to gently say no to the kid, an unholy screech sounds through the house. It’s so loud it finally rouses Taka, who bolts upright with wide, bleary eyes, clearly not fully awake. Mondo doesn’t have time to get the teen reacquainted to the land of the living, because then… then he can begin making out the words that are being said. Which are… shit. Not very good.

“-INI! RINI, WHERE ON EARTH ARE YOU?! IF YOU DON’T COME HERE RIGHT NOW, THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!! RINI!”

Mondo looks down at the kid in the doorway, who is now cowering down against the frame, looking so much smaller than even a six year old girl should look. It honestly breaks Mondo’s heart, and he has to fight to not rush over to the kid and make sure she never, ever gets hurt. Fuck… he hates it when people yell at kids… shit’s the fucking worst…

“Uh oh…” Rini mumbles, meeting his look with wide eyes. She then looks to the side in just enough time for a hand to appear on her shoulder, the girl letting out a high pitched yelp at the touch.

“There you are! My goodness child, how many times do I have to tell you not to wander off?! You were supposed to be helping your brothers unpack your things in your room, not wandering about! I swear, I don’t know /what/ to do with you some days,” a sharp, exasperated voice calls, causing Rini to shrink down, her eyes falling to the floor in what Mondo can tell is shame. It honestly pisses him the /fuck/ off, but he reins it in, knowing that exploding ain’t gonna help anyone. He really has to call on every anger management bullshit that Taka’s been feeding him this last year in order to stop his anger from consuming him, though…

“I- I’m sorry mommy… I was just looking around… but I found cousin Taka! And cousin Taka’s boyfriend, Mondo-san! He’s sooo cool!! And he’s really nice, and fun to talk to, and he loves cousin Taka, and he’s gonna play dollies with me, and-“

“You /what/?!” the lady exclaims, cutting the girl off. Rudely, in Mondo’s opinion. He can feel his anger spike when he sees Rini shrink down even further, trying to shy away from her ma’s touch, though the lady is holding the girl too tightly for that. And considering that Mondo is nearly positive he knows /exactly/ who this fucking lady is, it’s getting really hard to reel that anger in… “Rini, what did I tell you before coming here?! What on earth is the matter with you?! Can’t you listen?!”

Rini’s eyes start to water then, and Mondo can see her lip wobbling. She looks up at them sadly, before looking up at her ma, her expression turning guilty. Mondo can feel Taka shift beside him, reminding him that the teen is there, but he doesn’t take his eyes off the scene before him, his breathing getting a bit too heavy. S-shit…

“I… I know… b-but I love cousin Taka… he’s always nice to me and plays games with me, even if his games don’t make much sense… a-and Mondo-san was gonna play dollies with me, and I was gonna let him be Haru, since he’s a boy… I- I know you said I shouldn’t talk to them, that there’s something wrong with them, but I don’t understand why. Cousin Taka is nice, and Mondo-san is nice too… why can’t I talk to them anymore?”

While it’s still kinda dark, Mondo can see that the lady’s face is turning red, her eyes pinched as she looks down at her daughter. It makes Mondo’s hands clench, his anger rising rapidly.

“We already talked about this, Rini. If you cannot understand basic orders, then there truly is no hope for you. Now, come along. You still need to unpack your things and get settled. If I see you talking to either your cousin or his… /whatever/ again, then believe me, there will be consequences. Come, Rini.”

The lady strides away then, leaving Rini behind, though it’s clear she expects the girl to follow. Mondo’s heart clenches as he watches the poor kid look wide eyed between them and her ma, clearly not knowing what to do. Taka shifts next to him again, and Mondo can tell he’s also upset with what’s going on. Deeply so.

“A-ah… i-it’s okay, Rini. Y-you can go after your mother. It… it’s alright,” Taka says softly after a moment. Mondo finally glances over at the teen at the words and feels his heart break even more when he sees a sad, yet also resigned look on Taka’s face. It also makes him even angrier, Jesus Christ… honestly, /fuck/ Taka’s aunt. Lady can go burn in hell for all he cares… shit…

“B-but… I… o-okay… I don’t know why mommy doesn’t want me to talk to you… I’m sorry…” Rini mumbles, looking at the ground, shifting awkwardly. A beat passes, and then they can hear Taka’s aunt call for Rini again, voice sharp and angry. Rini winces, gives them one last, unhappy look, before darting off after her ma, leaving them behind without a word more. As she runs off, Mondo develops a bad taste in his mouth, his stomach churning angrily. So. Not only is Taka’s aunt a no-good, motherfucking /homophobe/, but she’s also a piece of shit ma, too. Figures. It does tend to work that way.

The silence between him and Taka is stifling in the aftermath of that shitshow, neither of them really knowing what to say. What can they fucking say in response to that goddamn shit? Fuck… /fuck/, Mondo hates this. So fucking much.

Just when the silence is about to consume them, the tension unbearable, Mondo feels Taka shift to face him, his eyebrows furrowed with a bitter frown on his face.

“What… w-what happened, kyoudai? I think I missed some of that… I’m sorry…” Taka says softly again, sounding so fucking /sad/ it physically hurts. Mondo shakes his head sharply in reply, turning on the mat to face Taka, eyes intent.

“Nah, don’t fuckin’ apologize man. Ain’t yer goddamn fault. Just… I was kinda dozin’, not really asleep, when I felt like someone was starin’ at me. When I looked up, yer cousin was there. We talked fer a bit, it was awkward, an’ then… /then/ yer fuckin’ aunt started screamin’ her goddamn head off. That’s when ya woke up, so ya know the rest. An’ can I just fuckin’ say that I fuckin’ /hate/ yer goddamn aunt? Fuckin’ homophobic, abusive piece a’ goddamn /shit/,” Mondo curses, so angry it’s not funny. He swears, if he didn’t have a rule against hitting ladies (though he’s fairly certain this fucker doesn’t qualify), and if she weren’t unfortunately Taka’s family… well. Let’s just say he’d be feeling a whole lot better right about now…

“A-ah… I- I see. Well, I’m sorry you had to experience that, kyoudai. I… I knew that Aunt Ryoko didn’t, um… /approve/ of my sexuality, but I had hoped that it wouldn’t affect anything at the gathering. I… see now that I was wrong… I- I… I’m sorry…”

Mondo scowls at the faltering words, shaking his head sharply and shifting to be closer to Taka. He can see that Taka’s eyes are wide and watery, which he knows from experience means he’s about five seconds away from bursting into tears, which is utter /bullshit/. Needing to get Taka to listen to him and pay the fuck attention, he lifts his hand and cups the teen’s cheek firmly, ensuring he has his attention. Once he sees Taka staring at him with wide eyes, his mouth open slightly in surprise, Mondo begins.

“Listen here an’ listen good, okay? That shit /ain’t/ yer fuckin’ fault. Not a single, fuckin’ thing. Yer aunt is a fuckin’ piece a’ shit who’s got shit fer brains, an’ it ain’t got nothin’ ta do with you. Ya hear me? So, don’t fuckin’ ‘pologize fer her bullshit. Ya’ve done nothin’ ta deserve it. Absolutely fuckin’ /nothin’/.”

Mondo keeps his eyes steady on his kyoudai, and as such he can see the second the first tear begins to fall. But Mondo can tell by the small smile on Taka’s lips that they’re not tears of unhappiness, but just… emotion. His kyoudai has always been super emotional… Mondo used to look down upon Taka for it, back before they were kyoudai, but now he almost envies the dude. He doesn’t even remember the last time he cried. Not without hating himself for it. Taka, though, has always been able to cry so easily, and it’s… good. It’s definitely helped show Mondo that dudes can cry and show emotion, and yet still be strong. There’s no one stronger than his kyoudai, after all.

“I… I know that, k-kyoudai… I just… I don’t know. I greatly dislike this whole situation. I knew that coming out would make things more challenging, just like I knew that bringing my supposed boyfriend with me would create tension. And yet… despite knowing this and preparing for it, I still feel so lost. I simply don’t know what to do here, kyoudai, and you know how much I hate not knowing things. I… I’m also very tired… this was not exactly the best way to awaken,” Taka states solemnly, sounding so fucking serious it actually makes Mondo snort even despite the severity of the situation. He can see Taka pout, but he doesn’t think the dude is hurt, thankfully. With a shrug and a sigh, Mondo sobers up and does his best to respond.

“Shit, yeah. I know man. Ya think I know what the fuck is goin’ on? I just spoke ta a fuckin’ /infant/ who wants me ta play fuckin’ /dollies/ with her. An’ now, since yer fuckin’ aunt don’t want me ta do that shit, of course I gotta do it just ta fuckin’ spite her. Shit fuckin’ /sucks/. But don’t ya think fer a fuckin’ second it’s yer fault, got me? An’ y’ain’t gotta take it when people say that kinda shit ta ya. Ya deserve more than that shit. Yer the best fuckin’ person I ever fuckin’ met, an’ that’s fuckin’ that. I ain’t gonna hear ya say otherwise.”

More tears begin to fall down Taka’s face, and Mondo finally gives in and wraps his arms around the teen, pulling him close. Taka goes easily, sniffling as he buries his face against Mondo’s chest, snuggling to get closer. It makes Mondo smile, his heart giving a little lurch at the sight. But fuck, if his kyoudai ain’t cute as shit…

The pair remain like that for a while, just holding onto one another in their dark room. The door is still open a little, but no one passes so Mondo doesn’t pay it any mind. It’s so much nicer to just hold his kyoudai and forget everything than to worry about all that other shit. He’ll have to eventually but… not right now. Right now, he’s holding Taka as the dude slowly calms himself down. And that’s all that fucking matters.

Eventually Taka does pull away, wiping his eyes with a shaky smile. Mondo lets him go reluctantly, unhappy with it but knowing he’s gotta.

“T-thank you, kyoudai… you are right, like usual! This situation is not my fault, I am simply being myself and that’s what should matter! I… thank you, Mondo. You truly are too good to me,” Taka smiles softly at him, his eyes soft as butter. It makes Mondo want to pull him close again, to feel his warmth against him, but he knows he can’t, so he doesn’t. He just lets Taka look down at his watch, the dude’s eyes widening at whatever he sees there.

“Ah! It’s getting late! Great Aunt Hana and Grandmother Kichi expect people to be at dinner at 6:00 promptly, and it’s almost 5:55! I- I am sorry, my dearest kyoudai, but I must put my uniform back on immediately! I-“

“Go, ya dork. I’ll change back inta

my fuckin’ get up too, shit,” Mondo interrupts, rolling his eyes and standing up. He knows better than to argue with Taka about this kinda shit by this point. The dude is so fucking anal that Mondo is positive he will spontaneously combust if he doesn’t immediately start getting ready for this dinner. Wasting time by arguing will just upset him more and Mondo… shit. He definitely doesn’t want that.

Taka gives him a grateful look as he stands to get his gear, turning the single lightbulb the closet has on so they can see better, though it’s still fucking dark as shit. Mondo turns to the uncomfortable polo shirt and black slacks he and Taka bought at a night market a few days prior, wrinkling his nose at the uncomfortable outfit.

“I fuckin’ hate this goddamn shit,” Mondo mumbles as he shimmies into the slacks, which are a thin, highly uncomfortable material. He supposes he can’t be shocked since he got them for ¥400, but still. “I don’t know how the fuck ya dress in that goddamn outfit a’ yers every goddamn day. Seems uncomfortable as shit.”

“It’s actually not that bad, kyoudai! I find it very comfortable! And convenient!” Taka responds, looking over at him as he zips up his fly. Mondo snorts, knowing the dude means it fully even though it’s complete bullshit, but Taka ignores that. “Thank you for agreeing to wear that outfit, though! I think you look very sharp in it!”

Mondo feels his cheeks heat up at the compliment, and feels a bit too flustered to respond. Instead, he just shrugs sharply and turns back to his clothes, getting dressed as quick as he can. Taka does the same and they spend a minute in silence as they dress.

Mondo is just finishing up combing his hair out and putting it in his half pony when he hears Taka let out a noise of dismay. Turning to face the hall monitor, he sees Taka with his hands up near his hair, a distressed look on his face.

“Everythin’ good, kyoudai?”

Taka turns to face him, pout on his lips.

“Ah, kind of! Or… not really! I mean… well! It’s just that my hair is out of order, but we don’t have any time for me to head to the bathroom to fix it! And it is highly unprofessional to walk around with mused hair! It is not that big of a problem, I suppose… just highly annoying!” Taka exclaims, nodding his head for emphasis. Mondo can’t help but smirk at the comment, snorting softly. Honestly, he’d noticed that Taka’s hair was a bit all over the place and not all contained and spiky like the teen prefers, but Mondo hadn’t mentioned it because it honestly suits him.

He knows how much Taka hates that shit, though, and so he doesn’t hesitate a second before gesturing for the hall monitor to move closer to him. Taka does so without hesitation, though Mondo can see the confused look Taka gives him. The look vanishes once Mondo lifts the hand that’s still holding his comb, running it gently through Taka’s hair.

“A-ah-! M-Mondo, you… you needn’t do that, kyoudai… I can handle it myself! … besides, it’s unsanitary to share a comb,” Taka mumbles, his entire face bright red as Mondo determinedly combs the knots and kinks out of his best friend’s hair. With a snort, Mondo tugs gently on a silky strand, ignoring the flare of heat that blooms in his belly at the feel.

“Shut the fuck up, Kiyo. Ain’t like I got fuckin’ fleas or shit. An’ I don’t fuckin’ mind combin’ yer hair, man. Don’t make a big fuckin’ deal outta it,” Mondo mumbles back, his own cheeks stupidly pink. He can tell that the hall monitor isn’t exactly happy at the situation, his lips pulled down in a little pout, but he doesn’t offer any more complaints.

However, after a few moments of careful combing, Mondo can feel Taka’s shoulders relax, the teen letting out a soft, happy sounding sigh as his eyes close with contentment. The heat in Mondo’s cheeks increases, but he doesn’t stop his combing, not even for a second. And if he keeps combing for a few moments longer than he has to, the feel of the silky strands too nice to stop that shit, well… whatever. Doesn’t fucking matter, shit.

He is eventually able to force himself to stop combing, reluctantly. He knows they gotta get going soon or else they’ll be late, which he knows would upset Taka. And he doesn’t want that. Definitely not.

“There ya go, man. Nice an’ fuckin’ ‘proper’ again. Ain’t all spiky, since I don’t got any gel at the ‘mo, but it’ll fuckin’ do. Now, c’mon. Let’s get this fuckin’ dinner bullshit over with.”

Taka gives him a single wide eyed, slightly dazed look, cheeks a soft pink and mouth hanging partially open, before snapping out of it and nodding quickly. Mondo shoves aside the lurch in his stomach and follows after Taka as the teen opens the sliding door to exit their small ass room.

As they move at a brisk pace through the house, Taka doing his usual ‘not running, just walking super fucking fast’ bullshit, Mondo can feel a spike of unease fill him at the thought of sharing a dinner with at least the majority of Taka’s family. He doesn’t know if everyone’s arrived or not, but shit. Either way, it’s still gonna be way more than Mondo is comfortable with. The shit he does for this fussy ass hall monitor…

Once they reach the bottom of the staircase, Mondo follows after Taka down a few hallways, until they reach an open doorway that a lot of noise is flooding out of. Mondo figures that must be the dining room, the spike of unease increasing the closer they get. He can see an unhappy look on Taka’s face as well, his lips pulled down and his intense eyebrows furrowed. But Taka barely falters as he approaches the room. Rather, after a brief moment of hesitation, he just sets his shoulders and pastes a painfully false smile on his lips, looking for all the world like a man about to go into battle. Mondo would find it funny if he wasn’t feeling vaguely sick. And if he wasn’t concerned about his kyoudai.

Taka spares him a single, commiserating glance, before the teen is slipping into the room, his voice loud as always as he apologizes for his tardiness. It makes Mondo smile slightly to hear Taka acting like himself, settling his insides a little. Well… better get this shit over with…

Entering the room after his kyoudai, Mondo tries to look more confident than he feels, eyes casually glancing across the room to get a lay of the land. He has to fight against the lurch in his stomach when he sees a hell of a lot more people than there had been earlier milling around the room, half of them kneeling at the low table and half of them helping bring the food from the kitchen to the dining room. Shit…

“No need for apologies, nephew. It has been a long day, I am sure,” Hana calls from her place at the table, smiling wryly at the teen. Her eyes dart over to him quickly, before nodding her head towards the table. “Now, why don’t you help your mother grab the rice while your partner takes a seat? You will be sitting beside your parents like usual, with Mondo-san sitting between you and Yoshi. You may show Mondo-san his seat before going to help your mother.”

With that, Hana turns back to the table, instructing the various family members as to where to put the shit ton of food that was made. Literally, it’s like they’re expecting to feed an army, the fuck? It briefly distracts Mondo from his nerves, but the distraction does not last long. Not when Taka turns to face him a moment later, a small grimace upon his face.

“Ah, of course, Great Aunt Hana! I will do that right away!” Taka exclaims, gesturing for Mondo to follow him. Which Mondo does immediately, knowing that trying to resist would be fucking pointless. Shit.

He follows after Taka towards an empty area of the table, his kyoudai pointing casually to a cushion that is placed around the edge of the long table. There are a few unoccupied cushions around him, though there is a man that Mondo has never seen before a cushion over from his. From what Mondo can see when he glances over at the man, he appears to be white, with sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes. He’s also holding a wriggling infant, with a small toddler sleeping soundly on his lap, making Mondo fairly confident that he’s found Taka’s cousin-in-law, Alex. What joy…

“So, Mondo! You may sit here while I go and help my mother bring out the dishes, like Great Aunt Hana said! I will be right back, I promise!” Taka exclaims, barely giving him a second to process the words before he’s darting away with a small half smile, half grimace. Leaving him alone with the foreigner and two infants. Great…

Unable to see what else he could do, Mondo takes a seat like he was informed, fighting to not squirm uncomfortably. God fucking dammit… he hates this shit… he honestly would prefer to be up and helping out, hating to be inactive when shit is going on, but he knows that would be considered ‘rude,’ or something, so he just sits down on his little cushion, feeling like an utter jackass. Fuck.

Wanting to dispel the awkwardness he feels, Mondo looks around the room, trying to place the new faces he sees at the table, thinking it will help to know who is who before dinner officially begins.

Other than Alex and the two babies, Mondo notices three kids sitting across from his cushion, down the table a bit. One of them is clearly Rini, though the poor girl is staring resolutely at the table with her hands in her lap, quiet and sad looking. It angers the shit outta Mondo, but he quickly pushes it down, knowing anger won’t help him here.

He turns his gaze to the two kids beside her, assuming they’re her older brothers. They both look very similar, with dark black hair kept in a short, messy style, like they just woke up or something. They also have red eyes, from what he can see from his distance, and one has a shit eating grin on his face as he talks animatedly, while the other listens quietly, a thoughtful frown on his face. If it weren’t for the fact that the quiet kid is a lot smaller than the loud one, Mondo would think the quiet one is the older brother. But, judging by size and by what Taka has told him, he assumes the quiet one is Raidon, the little brother, making the loud mouth Ronin. Huh. Whatever.

Moving on, Mondo notices Hana, Kichi, and Akiro sitting around the head of the table, across the table from where Mondo is sitting. The two ladies are dictating where everything goes to the numerous family members who are bringing the food in, while Akiro watches silently. Since Mondo already knows those three, he quickly moves his gaze on, looking at the last seated occupant of the room.

Sitting on the other side of the three elders, across from Rini, Ronin, and Raidon, sits a lone teenage girl, who looks bored as she scrolls on her little smart phone. She has dark auburn colored hair and mahogany eyes, which are glued to the screen, ignoring everything else around her. Considering that only younger kids and elderly seem to be seated at the table (excluding him and Alex, though he guesses he’s seated since he’s a ‘guest’ and Alex is seated to mind his kids), he guesses this kid must be Taka’s second cousin from his other ��aunt,’ Haruki. Which, Mondo realizes with a sinking heart, must mean that Taka’s stuck up family members must have also arrived while they were sleeping upstairs. Fucking fantastic… but wait, hold up a second…

With a frown on his lips, Mondo goes over that fact in his head a little more in detail, the sinking feeling expanding. As he tallies up the numbers, he realizes that if Taka’s Aunt Kumi, Uncle Daichi, and their brood is here, then that means everyone who is coming to the gathering is currently in the house, other than maybe one or two people. Which, Mondo realizes with a queasy stomach, is far sooner than he had anticipated. Taka had told him that it often takes longer for everyone to trickle in, some not arriving until the second day. Of fucking course everyone would be on time this year. God fucking dammit…

Suddenly feeling put off of his curiosity, Mondo shifts his eyes to the table, glaring at the wood. His hands are clenched in fists at his sides and his stomach is in knots. He hadn’t expected to meet pretty much everyone today. He had hoped he’d have a little more time to fucking prepare. Of course not, he thinks bitterly. Of fucking course not…

“It’s a bit much, yes?” Mondo suddenly hears come from his right, the words a bit clumsy and the accent not that great, to be honest, which tells him exactly who is speaking right now. He darts his eyes over to where he heard the voice, his back stiffening as he wonders if the dude is actually talking to him or not. He stiffens further when he notices that, yeah, the dude /is/ talking to him. The person he assumes is Alex is definitely staring right at him, a shaky smile on his lips as he holds his fussing babe. Shit… god fucking dammit. He was hoping he could avoid conversation until Taka got back… Taka always helps him keep his cool in awkward situations… fuck.

“Uh… yeah, I uh… I guess,” Mondo mumbles, feeling unbearably awkward, not sure what to say to the American. Alex doesn’t seem to think he’s fucking up too badly, he guesses, since the man just nods, his smile turning a bit wry as he looks around the chaotic room.

“Yes, I remember my first time here. Very… noisy. My Japanese was bad then, and it was hard to keep up. It’s gotten better, but can still be a lot at times. They’re a good bunch once they get used to you,” Alex claims, his accent still clumsy and his words simple, but he’s mostly understandable. Mondo wonders if he should switch to speaking in English to help the dude out, since he’s almost fluent in the language, but decides against it. Ain’t like it fucking matters. He doesn’t even want to be having this conversation in the first place, so… shit. Whatever.

“Yeah, I guess,” he mumbles again after a couple awkward moments pass, not sure what else he’s supposed to say. He’s never been good with conversation when he doesn’t really know the person he’s talking to. Shit’s awkward as fuck and he hates feeling awkward.

However, once again Alex doesn’t seem deterred, the man simply nodding in agreement, looking back at him with another crooked smile.

“My name is Alex, by the way. I’m Yoshi’s husband. She mentioned you earlier. You are Mondo Owada, correct? You go to Taka’s school?”

Mondo’s fists clench further at the reminder of the earlier disastrous meeting, wondering what the fuck Yoshi has been saying about him. He takes a deep breath to push down the rush of anger and just nods his head jerkingly, saying nothing as he glares at the table. An awkward silence rises between them then, but Mondo doesn’t fucking care. He’s not here to entertain douchebag Americans, thanks.

The silence stretches on as the baby fusses, Mondo not really interested in continuing the conversation. He feels a bit shitty about that, knowing that Taka expects him to make an effort with his family, but… shit. He’s been feeling so fucking off since ‘waking up’ that he thinks keeping his mouth fucking shut is prolly the best idea. Get through this dinner as painlessly as possible when surrounded by overbearing go getters, get some much needed rest, and hope tomorrow won’t be an absolute disaster. That’s the best he can fucking hope for, honestly. Fuck.

And yet, of course he can’t get even that, he thinks sardonically as Alex clears his fucking throat, clearly intending to continue on with the goddamn one sided conversation. God fucking dammit… how the fuck long does it take to bring the fucking food out, god fucking dammit…

“So. You’re the… uh, what’s the word… Ultimate Motorcycle Rider, correct?” Alex asks, head tilted, rocking his kid a little. The stupid ass question makes Mondo snort, his eyebrow raised as he finally looks over at the dude, unimpressed. Shit. He didn’t even bother making sure he had the right info before bringing it up? Fucking dumbass.

“Ultimate Biker Gang Leader,” Mondo corrects in a drawl, restraining an eye roll, not wanting to be seen as overtly rude. He wonders if Alex is gonna have a problem with his talent, though. He’s such a straight laced looking dude, Mondo thinks as he takes in his white button up, black slacks, and simple hair cut. From what he recalls, Taka says he’s a fucking accountant, AKA the most boring profession of all time. He prolly ain’t a fan of the rough and tumble kind of life Mondo leads. Or… led. Whatever.

Alex, however, doesn’t seem to have a problem with it, not if his benign smile and thoughtful nod is anything to go by. Jesus. He’s like the human equivalent of a stale cracker. Absolutely nothing of real value.

“Ah, of course! My mistake. That’s… interesting. I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before. They seem, ah… dangerous.”

Mondo snorts again at the words he’s heard a thousand fucking times, unable to stop the eye roll this time. He leans back on his cushion, turns slightly to face the dude, and gives him his most unimpressed look. Dumbass.

“Yeah, no duh,” Mondo snarks, forgetting that he’s supposed to be talking ‘respectable’. “Hogs are fricken dangerous rides. S’why I like ‘em. Ain’t nothin’ like ridin’ down the highway, nothin’ but wind in yer hair an’ asphalt under yer wheels. Feel every turn an’ curve ya take, practic’lly part a’ yer ride. Best fricken feelin’.”

Alex gives him a confused look, his head tilted and his eyebrows furrowed, and at first Mondo thinks the dude is judging him for his enthusiasm for riding. The thought makes him angry, his hands clenching into tighter fists, hating it when people fucking /judge him/ for liking to ride. Shit, it ain’t a fucking crime is it?! Well… sometimes it is, he likes to drive super fucking fast and without a fucking helmet, but… still! Fuck!

Luckily, before he can snap anything out, Alex speaks, his words slow and hesitant, a hint of embarrassment lining them.

“Er, I’m sorry, Mondo-san… I didn’t quite catch half of your statement. While I’ve been living here for five years, my Japanese still isn’t the best… I believe you mentioned something about enjoying riding? It does sound like fun!”

Mondo blinks and realizes suddenly that he’d switched to his more laid back style of speaking, which he knows for a fact is faster and lazier than his more ‘formal’ speech. Shit, Mondo forget he was supposed to be doing that shit. What happens when you get him started talking about riding… shit.

Mondo doesn’t get a chance to say anything else (not an apology, because fuck that), since at that moment Taka approaches, smiling brightly as he takes a seat to Mondo’s left.

“Hello Mondo! Mother sent me out here since she only has one last dish to bring out before we should be able to begin eating!” Taka exclaims brightly, smiling an only somewhat strained smile. Taka then turns to Alex, his eyes immediately seeking out the baby, looking strangely intense. He begins speaking in English a moment later, words steady enough. “/Hello Alex! It is nice to see you again! Is this Benjamin/?”

Alex relaxes now that Taka is here, his smile much easier as he nods his head, shifting to visibly present the baby to Taka.

“/Hey man! It’s great to see you too! And yeah, this is little Benny. We’ve told him a lot about you, you know, though who knows how much he took in, ha. He’s usually a pretty happy baby, but he’s a bit fussy today. Yosh thinks he’s coming down with something/,” Alex claims in English, though he doesn’t sound super concerned. Mondo looks down at the red faced infant, who is staring up at them with bright red, tiny eyes, glassy with unshed tears. It’s strange to see such eyes on a baby, and Mondo can’t quite tear his eyes away, not even when the kid begins fussing again, his little eyes squeezing shut.

Taka, of course, immediately begins to coo over the baby, fucking nerd that he is, leaning precariously over Mondo to get a closer look. Mondo automatically places his hand on Taka’s back to stabilize him as the teen presents his finger for Benny to hold, his face completely enraptured. Mondo’s eyes transfer from the baby to Taka, feeling ‘enraptured’ himself. Shit…

“/Oh, he is adorable! Hello, Benny, it is nice to meet you! I am your Uncle Kiyotaka, though you may call me Taka/!” Taka says to the baby in English, talking in his usual forceful manner, not bothering with that ridiculous ‘baby talk’ voice adults usually use around infants. Heh. Nerd, Mondo thinks fondly again, letting out a quiet snort. The sound seems to get Taka’s attention, since the teen is turning his face to look at Mondo with a soft smile then, their faces a lot closer than Mondo is used to. Not that he minds. Not at all. “/Oh! And this is Mondo! He is my, er… my boyfriend! He means a lot to me, and I hope the two of you get along well!”/

Mondo flushes at the praise, averting his eyes away from the overwhelming sunshine that is Taka. His eyes land on the baby, who is looking up at him uncertainly, his tiny chest trembling with his unhappy fussing. He’s not full on crying, but he definitely looks uncomfortable and unhappy. Mondo does his best to smile at the kid, not used to dealing with infants in the slightest, but not so big of a dick that he’d be rude to a literal fucking baby. Like… seriously.

“/Hey, kid. Nice to meet you/,” Mondo says, also in English, though he’s a bit clumsier than Taka was. Daiya taught him English when he was little, but he doesn’t get a chance to practice speaking the language often, so he’s a bit clumsier speaking than he is listening. The kid doesn’t seem to mind. Honestly, Mondo doesn’t know if the kid can understand him at all. He’s five months old, yeah? Is that old enough for them to understand shit yet? Mondo has no fucking clue.

Alex gives Mondo a surprised look for some reason (what, didn’t expect him to know English? Jackass), but doesn’t get a chance to say anything more, since at that moment, everyone who was helping set up the table comes back into the room and heads for their seat, though there are a lot of happy greetings made as they go along that prolongs the endeavor. Mondo just watches as this happens, feeling decidedly uncomfortable as more and more family members spill into the room, his heart beating fast as he realizes that this is it. He’s fucking meeting all of Taka’s goddamn family now. As his fucking /boyfriend/, even though they definitely are /not fucking boyfriends/. Which is… shit. Whatever. Whatever, he agreed to this fucking plan, he doesn’t fucking care. Fuck.

Mondo is still slightly distracted when Yoshi returns with a happy hum, plopping down onto the cushion beside him, giving them a happy grin as she takes Benny from her husband without a word. Alex gives up the kid without question, his attention going to the child sleeping on his lap, seamless and easy, like it’s something they’ve done a thousand times. It makes Mondo even more uncomfortable, like every interaction he witnesses between an actual functional family unit. He struggles to ignore it. It doesn’t fucking matter. None of this fucking matters.

“Hey Taka, Mondo-san! Did you guys sleep well?” Yoshi asks them in Japanese, head tilted and smile easy. Mondo feels awkward around the chick, remembering how fucking /scared/ she looked when she realized who he was, but Taka has no such reservations. The teen just nods happily, still leaning over Mondo to get a better look at his cousin and ‘nephew.’

“Yes, we did Yoshi! Thank you for asking! We were just talking to Alex about Benny! He’s very adorable!” Taka exclaims, still singularly focused on the kid. It makes Mondo snort again, shifting to get more comfortable, seeing that the teen is not intending to go anywhere anytime soon. The new position has Mondo’s arm wrapped loosely around Taka’s waist while Taka kneels practically on his lap, but, uh… shit, whatever. They’re close friends, it’s not like it’s fucking /weird/ or anything. And they’re masquerading as boyfriends. It’s fine. Taka doesn’t even seem to notice, as focused as he is on the kid, so it’s fucking /fine/.

“Aw, thanks Cuz! He really is a little cutie pie, isn’t he? He’s usually such a happy and upbeat baby, but he’s unfortunately got a bit of an earache today. I’m hoping it goes away by morning and he’ll be back to his usual bouncy self soon,” Yoshi explains, giving her kid a small, concerned look. Taka hums worriedly as well, frowning with concern as he leans closer to look at the kid. This unfortunately lands him firmly in Mondo’s lap this time, Taka practically lounging across him, his heat scalding. But it’s, ya know… fine. Totally cool. Not like Mondo is internally panicking or anything, no sirree!

/Fuck/.

“Yes, I hope so too, Yoshi! I would hate if he was suffering throughout the entire gathering! I’m sure it’s already confusing enough for him to be surrounded by so many people; doing so sick would decidedly be unpleasant! You have my fervent wish that he gets better soon!” Taka proclaims, sounding as serious and forceful as he does about everything.

Mondo can’t help the warmth that blooms inside his chest as Taka says this, nor can he stop how he looks at the teen, smile soft and eyes practically smitten. He knows he shouldn’t look like that, knows it tells shit he doesn’t want told, but… shit. Shit, shit, god fucking dammit. He can’t help it, okay?! Taka is just so fucking… /Taka/ and he can’t help the way he looks at the teen! He never fucking could…

Apparently he’s not the only one who finds Taka’s proclamation endearing, though. Yoshi lets out a small laugh, her eyes squinting as she looks at Taka, her expression definitely fond. It does nothing to dim the warmth in Mondo’s chest, and he suddenly feels very glad that Taka has someone in his extended family who genuinely seems to appreciate him. He knows how much the hall monitor struggled to make friends growing up, knows that he was actually Taka’s first real friend, so to see that at least Taka had /someone/ is… a lot. It might even be everything. Fuck.

“God, never change, Cuz. Never change,” Yoshi grins, echoing Mondo’s sentiments exactly. Taka jolts a little at the comment, his cheeks flushing with his obvious embarrassment. Mondo can’t tear his eyes away as Taka ducks his head and smiles bashfully, looking so fucking /pleased/. Goddamnit, it should be a crime to be so fucking adorable. It really fucking should.

“Ah! T-thank you! I, er… will try not to!” is Taka’s eventual answer, as awkward and adorable as the nerd himself. Mondo tightens his hold on Taka unconsciously, not sure why he does it, but just… wanting to feel him. In a, ya know. Brotherly way.

Unfortunately, the action seems to remind Taka of their position. Taka jolts again and turns his eyes to Mondo, the blush deepening as the teen hurriedly scrambles off of him, stammering as he goes. Mondo has to fight his disappointment and just watches as the hall monitor goes, listening to his hurried (and needless) apologies.

“Ah! M-Mondo, I… I’m so sorry! I did not mean to lean over you like that, ky- ah, kareshi! I hadn’t been thinking and it was a complete accident, one I assure you will not happen again, and-“

“It’s fine, man,” Mondo interrupts gently, taking care to remember his ‘formal’ voice this time. Yoshi is listening, after all. And most likely Taka’s parents, who have taken their seat on the other side of the teen. Which is… shit, not the time to focus on that. “I don’t mind. We’re, you know… dating. Don’t mind you being close to me. I’ve never minded that.”

Mondo gives Taka a significant look, hoping his kyoudai will understand what he means. Which is that they’re close, they’re fucking /brothers/, and he never minds when Taka gets close to him. Never. No matter the reason. He doesn’t know if Taka gets it, but the dude does go a shade brighter and his smile a bit shyer, so he understood /something/. Which is… yeah. Yeah.

Luckily, that moment is cut blissfully short by Hana clearing her throat, the entire table coming to attention as they turn their gaze towards her respectfully. Mondo follows suit, sweating fucking bullets, but like hell is he gonna fuck this shit up so quickly. He’s not that big of a dumbass. Even if it is getting so much harder to fucking breathe…

“Welcome, family. It has been far too long since we were last able to all gather together like this. It is a pleasure to see you all again, and to meet our newest additions,” Hana begins, her eyes first sweeping over towards Benny, and then, surprisingly, to him. Her eyes are piercing as they look at him, as piercing as Taka’s eyes have always been, and it makes his blood run cold. It makes his brain go a little funny, his breathing speeding up for reasons he can’t quite explain, and despite the fact he tries so fucking hard to push it down and pay attention, he finds it nearly impossible. Not when he can still feel that phantom stare on him, piercing him, /judging him/, s-shit…

His distraction causes him to tune out most of the speech, the words distant in his mind, like he’s listening through water. From what he can hear, he thinks it’s mostly about how it’s nice to make time to meet up with family and that familial ties are what are most important in life. He stops listening entirely then, his stomach clenching the way it always does when people talk about family, the envy and jealousy he hates rising bitterly inside of him. It’s all he can do to push it down, eyes hard on the table, his hands clenched in tight fists by his side. He knows he’s being ridiculous, knows he shouldn’t care about this shit, but it’s fucking /hard/, alright? It’s always been hard, from the time he was four years old and realized that the man who hated his guts was actually supposed to love him and not beat the shit out of him on a daily fucking basis, god fucking /dammit/-

“Are you okay, kyoudai?” Mondo hears whispered into his ear an unknown amount of time later, though he thinks it’s only been a couple of minutes, causing him to shudder. His eyes dart to the side to look into concerned scarlet, the most beautiful color he’s ever fucking seen. Even in a room surrounded by red, Mondo is positive that these eyes are the most splendid. The most expressive. The most luminescent, and all those other fucking words Taka’s been teaching him over the past year. He gets a bit lost in them, honestly, looking and searching and feeling. What he’s feeling, he has no fucking clue, but it sure is /something/.

“Mondo…?” Taka asks again, after a few moments pass and Mondo says nothing. The teen also reaches out and places his hand gently overtop Mondo’s, looking so concerned it makes Mondo’s breath hitch, not sure how to fucking handle this. He’s never known how to handle Taka. Especially not when he gets all concerned like this. Fuck, but he can’t continue to say nothing and just fucking /stare/ at Taka, he’ll concern the shit outta the dude, he’s gotta fucking say something /right the fuck now, you goddamn piece of shit/-

“Yeah. Yeah, I… I’m fine, man. Just… ya know what I’m like with family shit,” Mondo mumbles, cheeks heating up, shrugging awkwardly. But it’s true. Taka… Taka does know. Taka is prolly the only person he’s ever told about the shit his old man would do to him, the abuse he faced at the hands of a man who was supposed to love him. In fact, the day he told Taka about that shit was the first time he allowed Taka to hold him as they fell asleep, his eyes leaking pathetic tears as his kyoudai whispered soothing words to him, promising him that he didn’t deserve the shit his old man had done. Mondo… Mondo hates thinking about that day, as embarrassing as it had been. The way his heart races every time he thinks about it is even worse, though, so he quickly pushes the memory aside.

“Ah… yes, I- I do know… i-if this is too much for you, kyoudai, we could always retire early, if you’d like? I’m sure my family wouldn’t mind too much…” Taka trails off, sounding uncertain. It makes Mondo snort, giving Taka an unimpressed look. If there is one thing that Mondo has learned about Taka’s family in the short amount of time he’s known them, it’s that they absolutely /would/ mind if he left early. Well… half of them would. The other half would be forcefully worried, constantly bugging him if he was alright, and honestly, he’s not sure which he’d want the least, thanks.

“Nah. Nah, I’m fine, man. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry ‘bout me, ‘kay?” Mondo mutters back after a moment, before looking back around the table, noticing that the speech seems to be over and everyone is reaching out to grab some food. Hoping that he’s not making some social faux paus, Mondo reaches out blindly to grab something, not really caring what. When he sees the bowl of white rice he’d managed to snag, he figures that’s as good a place as any to start and begins loading up his plate. He fucking loves rice, could eat three whole plates of the shit in a row, really.

Taka doesn’t seem convinced, his eyebrows still all furrowed and his lips pulled down into a pissy little frown, but thankfully he turns away before Mondo can get too annoyed by the stare. With a soft sigh, Taka reaches forward and grabs the bowl of rice Mondo has finished with, giving him a soft, somewhat awkward smile.

“If you say so, my friend. But I will always worry about you. It is my duty as your best friend, after all!” Taka exclaims, voice still quiet enough to hopefully not be overheard, but still as forceful as ever. It makes Mondo relax again, his lips pulled up into a gentle smile as he looks at the teen, so fucking glad to have him. Like always…

“Heh. Yeah, ‘course,” he replies absently back, feeling soothed.

After that, no more words are exchanged between them, the pair happily grabbing the food that interests them, swapping it with the rest of the family around the table while Taka converses with those near him, seeming to be engrossed in the conversation. It makes Mondo feels hella awkward at first, not sure how to ask someone to pass him the shit he wants, not wanting to accidentally offend anyone and not wanting to interrupt Taka’s conversation. Luckily, it seems that Yoshi notices his predicament and begins grabbing the shit that Mondo is looking at, passing it to him with a wide smile even while holding her kid. It’s honestly kind of impressive.

“Thanks,” Mondo mutters after she’s done it for the fourth time, cheeks a little heated at needing the help. Yoshi doesn’t hold it against him, though. She just waves her hand carelessly, her eyes twinkling as she looks at him.

“Don’t mention it! Anything for Taka’s boyfriend,” she states, her words teasing. Mondo usually hates being teased, and he can even feel the discomfort bubble inside his chest, but… it’s surprisingly not as bad as it usually is. Something about Yoshi makes Mondo feel at ease. Honestly… she kind of reminds him of Daiya a little. If Daiya were an energetic, nosy chick. Which, considering who his brother is… heh.

Overall, the dinner is… nice. Simple. No one really engages Mondo in conversation, but he honestly prefers it that way. It’s easier for him to spend the time observing the family from an outside perspective, watching them as they interact. And it’s… honestly kinda fascinating. While they’re seated fairly far from each other, Mondo can see how Taka’s stuck up family interacts with the rest of them, their noses upturned and their demeanor haughty. Despite that, they still seem to be engaging in conversation, the rest of the family not seeming to mind the clipped words or the haughty tone. Though, every so often Mondo will see a teenage boy roughly Taka’s age— who Mondo believes might be Taka’s second cousin Eichi, who’s apparently the biggest fucking asshole around— turn to face them with a smug little smirk on his face, eyes dark with amusement, but luckily the shithead never says anything directly to them. Which is good. Mondo’s supposed to be on his best behavior here. Punching the lights out of Taka’s cousin would kinda ruin that shit.

But that doesn’t happen. And Mondo is mostly left alone while Taka speaks to his various family members, seeming happy. Mondo entertains himself for a few minutes watching Taka enthusiastically talk to his ‘uncle’ Akihiko, the happy bachelor who also apparently arrived sometime when they were in their room. From what Mondo can tell, they’re talking politics, Taka trying to get the older man to understand the importance of some policy or other, though the man seems mostly to be humoring the teen, nodding and humming when appropriate with an indulgent smirk on his lips. From what Taka has told him about the man, he’s a lot more laid back than anyone in the family, enjoying to ‘go with the flow’ rather than having any concrete plans in life. It often puts him and Taka at odds, Taka aghast as someone not caring about every last little thing possible, but despite that the pair seems to get along well. It’s definitely entertaining to watch the two, he’ll say that…

This continues on for a little while, nothing too out of the ordinary happening, Mondo able to just zone out and chill while eating some honestly super delicious food. In fact, Mondo is just about thinking that the whole dinner is going to go on in a similar manner, the even not nearly as bad as he’d feared, when he gets distracted by a small commotion to his right.

Head turning automatically, Mondo watches absently as Samantha— who has been sleeping merrily on her da’s lap this entire time, not stirring even with the loud noise— abruptly wakes up and begins fussing. Loudly.

Without even looking away from her conversation partner, Yoshi immediately begins to hand little Benny over to Alex, the man accepting the bundle without question. Then, still talking to one of the various cousins, the chick grabs her daughter and brings her onto her lap, bouncing her leg immediately to try and soothe the cranky toddler. The whole interaction takes maybe five seconds, maybe less, and it leaves Mondo feeling… something. What that something is, he doesn’t know, but it definitely feels twisted, so he determines to not examine it too closely, thanks.

But then… for reasons he absolutely doesn’t understand…

Mondo enters into a conversation with Samantha. The fucking /infant/.

And it’s not really a conversation. She’s like… fucking /three/ and her grasp on language is iffy at best. In fact, she’s clearly being taught both English and Japanese at home, since she’s babbling in a confusing mix of the two, Mondo having to stare at her with furrowed brows to try and understand a goddamn word. And as for why the hell he’s even bothering, well… it would be rude to ignore her, ya know? Especially after she makes it abundantly clear she‘s speaking to him when she grabs his arm and yanks painfully on his skin, babbling a sharp reprimand when he dares to look away from her after a minute of absently watching her babble.

Yoshi finally looks away from her conversation at that, looking down at her daughter with disapproval, chiding her gently about her actions. The chick then gives Mondo an apologetic look, but he immediately waves it off.

“It’s fine, I, uh… don’t mind,” he mutters, and finds that it‘s strangely true. He honestly doesn’t. Yoshi gives him a curious look at that, and for a second Mondo thinks that the chick is gonna be mad at him for, he doesn’t know… interacting with her precious child and soiling her with his rough lifestyle. But no. Instead, Yoshi just nods happily after a moment and goes back to her conversation, Samantha tugging on his arm again to get his attention. And, well… it’s not like he’s got anything better to do…

And so, that’s how Mondo finds himself wrapped up in the most convoluted, confusing conversation he’s ever found himself in, which is saying a lot considering who his kyoudai is. Honestly, Mondo doesn’t think he’s ever spoken to a three year old before, and he’s gotta admit that he’s glad for it. Don’t get him wrong, the kid is kinda cute and he doesn’t really regret entering into this ‘conversation’. But goddamn is it confusing.

More than the kid constantly switching between English and Japanese, it seems that she doesn’t know what she wants to talk about. Every five seconds she starts talking about another topic, sounding just as enthusiastic as she had before. After about three minutes of this, Mondo absently wonders if this was what Taka was like as a child. Endlessly enthusiastic and painfully confusing. Somehow, the thought makes him feel less awkward about the whole situation, his lips smiling fondly as he thinks of his kyoudai acting like this little girl when he was a kid. It’s honestly not that hard to imagine.

This ‘conversation’ between them lasts for about ten minutes, Mondo not really contributing to the conversation, but not minding listening to the kid babble. It’s honestly kinda cute, not gonna lie. He makes sure to nod along and make some noises that indicate that he’s listening, not wanting to be rude to the fucking kid, and it seems she’s happy enough with just babbling along. At one point he sees Taka look over at him and Samantha, pausing briefly in his conversation with his ‘uncle’ to give Mondo a wide eyed stare, before giving him a blinding smile. He doesn’t say anything, though, and instead just returns to his previous conversation, though his smile never fully fades from his lips. Mondo tries not to focus on it, but his chest definitely begins to bloom with a bright, hot /something/ at that fact. It’s hella distracting, though, so Mondo redoubles his efforts of following along with whatever the kid is saying, kind of able to make out that she’s rambling about something she did with her ‘dada’ the other day. It’s honestly hella cute, her little baby voice endearing, so Mondo doesn’t mind putting his full attention on the kid, humming with acknowledgment whenever it seems appropriate.

What Mondo does mind, however, is when the kid decides it’s a good fucking idea to climb off her mother’s lap and onto /his/ during a lull in their ‘conversation’.

Well… ‘mind’ is a bit strong of a word. Honestly, he’s more surprised than anything, eyes wide as he looks down at the dark brown curls he can see under his chin. He’s never had a kid decide to sit in his fucking lap before. It’s… weird.

It also makes Yoshi abruptly end her conversation, her red eyes wide and her lips pulled down into a frown as she looks at her daughter.

“Samantha,” Yoshi hisses, looking embarrassed as she reaches out for the kid, shooting Mondo an apologetic look. The kid, however, evades her mother’s hands and settles herself firmly on his lap under his arm, her lip jutted out in a stubborn pout. She babbles something angrily at her mother, stubborn as all hell, and it makes Mondo smirk a little. What can he say, he likes the kid’s spunk.

What he doesn’t like is how the commotion cuts across the entire table, everyone going quiet as they turn to look at what’s causing the problem. It makes Mondo flush, anxiety rising in his chest to see everyone staring at him— /judging him/— and he knows he has to defuse this situation as quick as he fucking can before something happens. What might happen, he doesn’t know. But knowing him and his anger when people judge him…

“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” Mondo mumbles to Yoshi, his hands still awkwardly at his sides as he darts a look between the kid in his lap and the chick sitting next to him. Yoshi looks uncertain about something, and for a moment Mondo thinks she’s upset because he’s a fucking biker and she doesn’t trust her kid with him. Which is… shit, /fair/, but he fucking hates it, he hates it, he fucking-

“Are you sure Mondo-san? I know how pushy Sammy can be, you don’t have to entertain her if you don’t want to. I can take her out of the room to calm down, it’s not a problem,” Yoshi replies softly, giving him a concerned look. She seems fairly genuine, too, like her concern is about him and his comfort, not… shit. Anything else.

Taking a deep breath to shove everything down, he gives the chick a crooked half smile, shrugging as casually as he can while he shifts to get more comfortable. It makes Sam grumble, the girl pouting up at him, which strangely helps settle him more. What can he say. He’s unfairly fond of stubborn as shit, bossy, red eyed people.

“Nah, it’s, uh… it’s cool. She isn’t bothering me,” Mondo claims, voice still quiet to prevent eavesdroppers. Yoshi still seems a bit uncertain, like she isn’t sure if he’s just being a martyr or not, but after a moment, she nods hesitantly and goes back to her dinner, darting frequent looks at the two of them. Mondo keeps himself as loose as possible, staring unseeing at the table, trying to ignore the fucking stares. God, does he hate people staring at him. Shit’s the fucking worst.

Fortunately, people seem to grow bored of staring when nothing is going on, and soon enough everyone is going back to their own conversations, all seeming to accept that things are fine now. This relieves Mondo so fucking much, and it doesn’t take long for him to relax as well. Yeah, he has a fucking /kid/ in his goddamn lap, and he has no idea how to handle that shit, but hey. At least people aren’t staring at him anymore. Or… most people…

“I ain’t gonna explode man. Ya don’t gotta look at me like that,” Mondo mutters towards Taka a few minutes later, noticing that the teen is still staring at him weirdly. Taka jolts a little at the comment, eyes wide and cheeks flushing. He hurriedly looks away, embarrassed.

“S-sorry, k-kareshi. I didn’t think you were going to explode, I just… a-ah. I hadn’t known you were good with children, is all,” Taka mumbles to him after a moment, giving him the shyest fucking look through his goddamn eyelashes. It makes Mondo flush in response, his eyes falling to the table, not sure how to respond to that. Because… shit, he ain’t good with kids. Or… he’s never really been around kids much, so he can’t say one way or another if he’s good with them or not. He just isn’t a fucking dick to little kids, ya know? And if a fucking three year old wants to climb on his lap and babble nonsense to him, what does he care? As long as she doesn’t kick him anywhere sensitive, he doesn’t mind. And he’s gotta admit… it is kinda cute how she’ll ramble on and on about absolutely anything, not caring that he has absolutely no idea what she’s saying. As long as he makes the appropriate noises, she’s golden.

It’s also kinda cute how she’ll tug on his arm every so often, point to a type of food she wants to eat, and say something (in either English or Japanese, whichever one comes to her mind first) like ‘peas’ or ‘gimme’ or ‘dat one, tanks.’ And then, once he dutifully grabs the desired food, she’ll reach out to eat it with her hands, regardless of what it is he put in front of her. He’s super fucking glad he’s not wearing his coat or else she’d have gotten food all over it, which would not fly. As it is, she’s just ruining this stupid as shit polo and slacks he got hella cheap, so he doesn’t give a shit.

Anyway… all of that besides, he’s not sure why Taka thinks he’s suddenly ‘good with kids,’ but whatever. Not like it bothers him. He’d worry about his image, but a) he’s supposed to be trying to be seen as an upstanding citizen of society here, and b) who the fuck says bikers can’t be nice to kids? Most bikers he knows are super nice to kids. In fact, anyone who isn’t gets the beating of their life from him. It’s actually a fucking rule of his gang: don’t be a fucking dick to kids. So… yeah. Whatever.

“I ain’t, just… I dunno. Ain’t gonna be rude ta a kid. Ya know?” Mondo eventually says, a few moments later, voice as quiet as he can go to prevent more eavesdropping. Taka hums, nodding slowly, turning to look at him with a small smile. Shit…

“I don’t know, kareshi. You seem fairly good with Samantha. I know for a fact that she can be, er… a bit much. Not many would be willing to listen to her conversations, let alone let her climb onto their lap. It’s… admirable,” Taka mutters in reply, eyes glittering in the low lighting, admiration clear within them. It causes Mondo’s throat to grow dry, and he has to look back at the table to prevent himself from saying (or /doing/) anything stupid. Goddamn.

Dinner continues on after that, the kid in his lap happily babbling about anything and pointing to the food she wants, while Mondo listens with half an ear and responds when appropriate. The rest of the table continues on with their own conversations, everything seeming happy and very… homey. At no point does the discomfort within him go away, but it does settle a little as the meal goes on, enough so that he’s able to eat a fairly substantial amount of the super fucking bomb food that was made. He even manages to enter a small conversation with Yoshi and Alex, who ask him about his gang and what it’s like to lead. All in all, while it’s definitely not his scene, Mondo finds that the dinner is… not that bad. Could be worse, definitely.

Eventually, the meal does end, the mountain of food dwindled to dregs only and everyone at various stages of exhausted. Taka is leaning subtly against his shoulder, his eyes drooping every few seconds, which tells Mondo that he’s super fucking tired, even after his nap earlier. Mondo doesn’t mind the dude leaning against him and just moves a bit to give Taka more room, shifting Sam a little to make them all a bit more comfortable. Unfortunately, moving wakes Taka up, his kyoudai blinking at him sleepily while his cheeks flush bright pink.

“Ah, s-sorry, kyoudai… I must be more tired than I thought,” Taka mumbles, still looking exhausted. Mondo chuckles, turning to face Taka fondly.

“It’s okay, man. I don’t mind. But, uh… we should prolly head ta bed. Yer lookin’ pretty sleepy, Kiyo,” Mondo mumbles in reply, lifting a hand to absently run it through his kyoudai’s hair. He feels Taka stiffen for a second, but before he can worry that he did something wrong, the teen is relaxing with a soft, happy sigh, leaning further into his side without a care. It makes Mondo smile, the sight honestly super fucking adorable. It gets even cuter when Sam decides she’s also sleepy and so she shifts so that she can rest her head against his chest, her little hand reaching out to grab Taka’s sleeve. Taka smiles gently at the little girl, and Mondo has a moment to think that it’s not just him that’s supposedly good with kids.

His thoughts get interrupted when he hears Taka’s great aunt clear her throat again, a hush falling over the brood. Mondo respectfully turns his head to face the woman, knowing that if he were to show her even the slightest hint of disrespect things would be all over for him. If there’s one thing he’s learned most from his few hours here, it’s that everyone in the family adores the matriarch and wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect.

~~~~

Aaaaand that's all she wrote, folks. Like I said, I have a ton of ideas for this fic, it's just hard writing them down. And connecting all the ideas together. If you did like this fic, please let me know, though! I cannot guarantee it ever getting finished, but I do like the premise and I like what I have written so far.

Also, I hope the kids seemed realistic, ha. As I've mentioned on here before, I work with kids, so I tried to model the kids on the kids I work with. Samantha was based off a friend to a kid I used to babysit, who was three when I met her and LOVED to talk about anything. Her name was also Samantha, which is why I named the character that, giving her an American dad to excuse it. ^-^

#The Ultimate (Fake) Boyfriend #Danganronpa #Danganronpa fanfiction #Mondo's POV #Kiyotaka Ishimaru #Mondo Owada #My fanfic #OCs #WIP

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