CH 5.1 - Turmoil (PA)

Kaoru walked up to Nagisa with another bottle. "I almost forgot about this one. Omega 3 capsules,"She muttered, setting it down before she walked away but noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. The ring Yuto pulled off from his finger looked identical to the one Nagisa was wearing. Could it be-?

Succumbing to the realisation, she was white with shock. Why didn't she realise this before?

She clenched her fist and stood her ground. She spoke up, her tone of voice so stern it even surprised Satoushi.

"Nagisa. You're dating Kirishima-kun, aren't you?".

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The dining hall was dead silent. "Well, you aren't? Engaged and all without telling me and your father,".

"We're not engaged,"Nagisa groaned, looking his mother in the eyes. "So you admit that you're dating?" She scoffed, her hands on her hips. Nagisa bit his lip. If he told her the truth, Yuto would be anxious. But at this point, there was nothing he would gain from lying to his parents anymore. "Yes. We're dating. We have been dating for a year and a month now,". Satoushi arched his eyebrows in amusement. His wife on the other hand was shaking with rage. "I never raised you to be such a disgusting child,". With that, she stomped out of the dining hall, her fists curved into a ball.

Hitomi patted her brother on the back, quietly offering her support. "I'm just worried about how anxious Yuto will be when he finds out that Ka-chan and To-chan know about our relationship,"He whispered, twiddling with his thumbs. Satoushi could sense the tension in the air and decided to break it. "Nagisa, truth is, we already suspected it,". He set his newspaper aside and heaved a heavy sigh. "You know your foster parents in England, Nancy and George, they used to tell us all sorts of things you did,". Nagisa hid his flustered face in his hands. "Oh fuck, not this again,". Satoushi smirked, gathering up his soba noodles with a pair of sleek black chopsticks. "Even you know. Yet, your Mum refused to believe that you would ever mingle with men,".

Naoki and the twins just entered the dining hall. Sensing the tense atmosphere, Yukina was about to ask a question but Naoki quickly clamped his mouth shut and Hitomi put her finger to her lip as if to tell him not to say anything. They understood and took their seats quietly. Kanako stole a look of concern at her eldest brother. She tapped Yukina's knee, whispering. "Is Aniki in trouble?". Naoki could feel the tension in the air and whispered to her. "I think our parents found out about them...". The twins gasped loudly and were quickly met with a limp smack on the head from Hitomi and Naoki. "Don't be so loud. Aniki's having a hard time,"Hitomi hissed.

Dipping his cold noodles into the soy sauce that had been set aside in a separate bowl, Satoushi slurped his first bite soundly. When he finally swallowed his mouthful, he spoke again. "But then again, I don't mind. I only want you to be happy. If being romantically involved with Kirishima-kun makes you happy, I have no say in your life,". Nagisa looked up and stared at his father. "Oto-san....". Growing up, Satoushi was always lenient on him. He let Nagisa do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't fail any subjects in school and took advanced English classes. He only wanted his children to be happy and to be able to live freely. "Plus, Kirishima-kun seems to be changing you for the better. The relationship between the two of you is quite harmonious as well. As your father, I couldn't be any happier,".

Nagisa bit his lip, stifling any tears that wanted to plant themselves in the corners of his eyes. "Don't worry about your mother. She'll learn to accept it soon. She doesn't actually mean what she said, she's just in shock,". Nagisa nodded, lifting his head to see Yuto darting towards him, a small smile plastered on his face. "Nagi, the staff are nice. They wrote "get well soon" messages for me on my cast,". Nagisa laughed, looking at the cast. Sure enough, sweet messages decorated the once pristine white cast and he smiled through his glassy eyes. "That's lovely. So that's why you took so long,"He chuckled, patting Yuto's head as the boy slipped his ring back onto his finger. Yuto stole a look in Satoushi's direction who seemed to have gone back to reading his paper.

Small hands cupped Nagisa's face and a soft kiss was planted on his forehead. "Thank you for bringing me here,". Nagisa grinned and pecked him on the forehead too. "I'd do anything to make you happy,". Yuto sat back down and scanned the faces in the room. "Eh? Nagi? Where did your mother go?". Before he could respond, Satoushi spoke up. "She went to the garden. She said the room was quite stuffy,". Yuto nodded and squeezed Nagisa's hand. "Let's eat our breakfast before it gets even colder,". The man could only smile at his younger boyfriend, agreeing with him. One of the staff members offered to heat their food up again and they chattered away with the other Shinji siblings while waiting.

Unbeknownst to them, Satoushi was watching them quietly, glad that his son was finally in a happy and loving relationship.

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After breakfast, Nagisa took Yuto to the garden so that he could look at all the different plants and marvel at their splendour. "Nagi, how rich is your family?". Nagisa laughed hearing that from Yuto and wrapped an arm around his waist. "I don't actually know. However, I personally don't need this much to live. Can I afford it? Maybe? Do I need it? No,". Nagisa smiled and pulled Yuto closer before kissing his head softly while they walked down the garden. "I just want to live comfortably with you for as long as I'm alive,". Yuto hid his face in Nagisa's chest, his face crimson. "Thank you for loving me even though I have nothing,".

Nagisa whistled and kissed Yuto on the head again. "I don't care about that. You treat me so well. How couldn't I have loved you?". They stumbled into the rose garden. The lush red roses were saturated with colour. However at the picnic table in the center, Kaoru sat there still fuming. She caught sight of both of them and huffed, loud enough for them to hear. "Does he really think that being in love with a boy can fulfill his life? Unbelievable....". Yuto was puzzled to hear such a thing and Nagisa saw his face twist with confusion. He motioned for Hiroto to come and show Yuto around while he would sit down and talk with his mother.

Hiroto grinned and bowed to Yuto. "Kirishima-sama, may I show you around? There are little puppies in the west wing I think you'll like,". Yuto gulped and turned to Nagisa. "Don't be so scared, baby. They're just puppies. There's no big dogs,". Yuto sighed in relief and nodded. "Are you coming with me Nagi?". Hiroto whisked him away, turning around to wink at Nagisa. "He has to settle something with his mother first but I can assure you that he'll come when he's through,". Yuto was quite reluctant to go without Nagisa but he eventually gave in and followed Hiroto. Nagisa huffed and sat at the picnic table, facing his mother.

"What in the right mind possessed you to date that boy?". Kaoru glared at him, as if he were a bug on her sandals. "Love doesn't discriminate, Oka-san. I didn't choose to fall in love with him but I still did because that's the way the cookie crumbles,". Kaoru scoffed at such an explanation. "How can you expect to give me grandchildren when you're in love with a boy?". Nagisa bit his lip and twiddled his thumbs. "We can still adopt. There's plenty of children who need parents,". The old woman huffed, holding her head in her hands. "Wrong. Parents of a family consist of a mother and a father. Don't even dare tell me that Kirishima-kun has maternal instincts. I won't believe you,".

Her barbed words just jabbed at Nagisa's heart. He didn't really dare to speak up against her though. 'This is horribly unfair. What did I do to deserve something like this?'. It wasn't wrong to love someone of the same sex right? Perhaps it was taboo back in the day but it was the modern ages now. However he had made up his mind that even if his mother didn't agree to their relationship, he would never give up on Yuto. He couldn't bear to break up with Yuto just because of his mother.

"I'll arrange something for you".

Mustering the courage to lift his head, he finally looked up to face his mother dead in the eyes. "Look Oka-san, I appreciate that you're trying to make sure I don't get lonely or even deal with oppression from society. But I can't accept this,". You could hear the repetitive impatient tapping of Kaoru's shoe against the wooden table. "Why not? It's not your first arranged marriage now is it?". She rested her chin on her hands as he slumped forward on the table. "Besides, you were so happy with Yuri before. Such a shame that you two divorced only for you to end up with her brother,". Nagisa groaned and tried to tune her out by observing the promise ring on his left ring finger.

A warm shade of rose gold that reflected the warmth he felt whenever he was with Yuto. Their given names are engraved into the mold of the ring. A rainbow opal was welded firmly in the center to signify the love and passion between them. Nagisa chose these rings for them. He gifted them a week before Yuto turned 19. How was he expected to let go of everything he had built up for the past year to get married to a stranger he could never grow to love? Sure, they are of the same-sex and have a massive age gap. But the relationship between them is consensual. What's wrong with that? Yuto is even above the age of consent.

Annoyed, Kaoru could tell that Nagisa had no will to change or even break up with Yuto. She'd best give them an ultimatum right? "I see that you don't intend to have a change of heart. So, just take responsibility for the choice that you're making,". Nagisa fiddled with his ring. "What are you trying to say?". Kaoru smirked and swept back her long blonde locks of hair.

"Get married in a year's time or you can expect me to hook you up with someone else,".

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"You finally came,"Hiroto sighed in relief, holding a small puppy in his arms. "Kirishima-kun seems fond of puppies. You should look into getting yourselves one,". Nagisa eyed Yuto playing with a group of puppies, smiling like he'd never seen before. He just seemed so happy. How could he bring himself to tell him something so pressuring? 'No..I can't do it now. Especially since my mother is the one who brought it up. I can't do that to him'. "Nagisa-sama? Did you hear me?"Hiroto spoke again, tapping him on the shoulder. Nagisa snapped out of it, forcing a sheepish smile at Hiroto. "Sorry, could you repeat what you said?". Hiroto nodded, the little tyke in his arms nipping at the hem of his button-up shirt. "Your partner seems quite fond of puppies. Perhaps taking care of one between the two of you is a good move,".

Nagisa sighed. "They're quite high maintenance though. Plus, Yuto and I don't usually return home until the evening so it's not ideal for the puppy,". The butler nodded, seeing through Nagisa's deceptive smile. Hiroto huffed as well, patting him on the shoulder. "It's not easy to change their conservative minds. Don't think too much about what she said,". The younger of the two took the puppy from the butler's arms and cradled it, whispering his reply. "How can I not think of what she said when she's going to pressure him to get married? I don't want him to go through such stress".

Wagging its tail, the puppy licked Nagisa's face;as if to cheer him up. "See? Even Ume can tell that you're unhappy. I'm sure both of you can get through something like this,". Hiroto took Ume back from the other male's arms and set it down. He stole a look at Yuto and then Nagisa, motioning for Nagisa to go and join Yuto. Masking his unhappy face with a bright smile, he ran to Yuto and hugged him from behind. "Have you fallen in love with the puppies? Do you love them more than me now?"He teased, making his partner giggle. "Don't be ridiculous. They're just puppies,". There was a little brown labrador that was curled up in his lap and Nagisa smiled at it. "Do you like little animals that much?".

Yuto smiled at him, hugging the puppy that lay snugly on his lap with one arm. "Of course. They're adorable. But they're commitments,". He eyed the little thing with a small smile. "Commitments are scary to make. If you make the wrong choice, you can't double back on it,". Nagisa gulped nervously and nodded.

"Just like marriage".

Hearing those words from Yuto's mouth made his face hot. 'Why now? Gosh...of all things...'.

"If you marry the wrong person or even get married at the wrong time, it's not going to work out,". Yuto's face was flushed as he said that. He noticed his partner's tight-lipped smile and put his good arm around his neck. "Gomen, I shouldn't have brought that up. That only made you think of what you've been through. I'm sorry for being insensitive,". Nagisa clenched his teeth, fighting the urge to cry and he just embraced Yuto, stroking his fine hair gently. "You have nothing to apologise for. It's good that you know the implications behind marriage,". Yuto nodded and his small hands pat his partner on the back softly. "That's good to know,". He could still tell that something was bothering Nagisa and sunk into his arms, caressing his broad back. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?".

Nagisa didn't respond but he merely held Yuto close to him. 'I can't bear to break the news to him. I just can't. How would he handle such stress?'. The skies above them grumbled and Kanako's shrill voice could be heard contrasting the deep thunder in the clouds. "Aniki! Kirishima-san! It's about to rain! Both of you should come indoors!". The older man wiped away his droopy expression and squatted on the ground. "Come here, I'll give you a piggyback ride,". Yuto hid his face with his hand. "But I'm around your family. Won't they think of me as a child if you gave me a ride?".

His partner flashed a cheeky smile and playfully grabbed him under his knees, standing up. "Not at all!". Yuto squealed and clung onto Nagisa's chest and shoulder tightly as he began bolting towards the backdoor of the grand house.

Before the sky could groan its next thunder, they were already sheltered under the roof of the Shinji household.

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Dusty pink pyjamas had been set out for Yuto courtesy of Satoushi since he found out that he barely had any clothes to wear. "To-chan sent his personal assistant out to get some clothes for you. Mostly hoodies, but there's a lot to pick from,"Nagisa chuckled as he browsed three of the large shopping bags that lay on the floor next to the rack that held their bags. Something caught his eye and he grinned brightly when he pulled it out. Spools and spools of velvet ribbon in all sorts of widths, colours and embellishments. These were most likely meant for Chitose. 'It's cute that he thought to get something for Chitose too. He must be really accepting of Yuto then'.

Yuto sat on the bed, cross legged. "Nagi, back then at the garden, were you about to cry?". The older man shook his head, buttoning up his pyjamas. "No. What made you think that way?". The boy clutched his stuffed zebra, playing with the toy's fat arms. "You just seemed upset. Are you okay? Did your mother say something to hurt you?". Nagisa's heart skipped a beat. So, Yuto really could tell that something was wrong. Nagisa was quiet for a bit, scratching the back of his head. "Well...she didn't really accept our relationship together. That's why I've been really unhappy,". Nagisa bit his lip, trying to control his facial expressions. 'I can't cry now! I can't cry now!'.

Judging by how droopy his posture had become, Yuto could tell that he was at his breaking point. He stared at Nagisa and quietly pulled him onto the bed. He finished buttoning up Nagisa's pyjamas for him as best as he could with one hand. He allowed Nagisa to bury his head in his chest and tutted him softly. "I know that you're older than me. You want to put a brave front for my sake. But, it's okay to cry, Nagi,"He whispered, petting his head tenderly. Nagisa clenched his fists, hoping the waterworks wouldn't turn on. "Everyone produces tears. Therefore, everyone can cry. Nobody should ever think of you as less of a man if you cry because everyone cries too".

A soft kiss was planted on Nagisa's forehead. "Even if you cried in front of me, I wouldn't love you any less. So please, cry if you have to,"He whispered. His partner did his best to restrain himself but ultimately, his defenses were bombed. The wall he had built to hold the dam back had cracked. He sniffled and hugged Yuto tightly.

Tears began to dampen the blanket that kept them warm for the duration of their visit.

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When they got home, Yuto could sense that something had ticked Nagisa. He became more annoying and persistent about marriage. Yuto got annoyed quite quickly because with every conversation they would have, Nagisa would bring marriage up. Despite Yuto telling him every time that he just wasn't ready to pursue that part of his life yet, Nagisa persisted. He knew that Nagisa's mother must have told him something pretty serious or else he wouldn't be acting like this. Nagisa has always been patient and considerate with his feelings. Yuto decided that he probably shouldn't say much else in case he'd accidentally fan the flames.

As his final exams grew closer, he kept cooping himself up in their room and studying. After these exams, he was going to graduate. He would be free. Although he was excited to be granted such newfound freedom, he was terrified of what was next to come. How on earth could he get a good stable job when he couldn't even face anyone without Nagisa accompanying him? Heck, how could he even get work experience? He would have to get a part-time job while waiting for his exam results right? That seemed rational enough.

Scouting for open job opportunities was actually quite tough. It's hard to discern between a genuine offer and a human trafficking scheme. Eventually, he did find one. A well-known local business was looking for a part-time bookkeeper and Yuto knew that it was a job that didn't require much social interaction. Although, he decided that he would tell Nagisa about it first in case he had any advice for him.

That was the catalyst to the reaction.

After dinner one night, Yuto decided to tell him about the position that he discovered from the online job portal. "Nagi..."He began, holding his hand firmly. "How would you feel if I decided to get a part-time job?". Yuto continued speaking, feeling his lip quiver. "I think it'd be good if I got one,". The older man shook his head and sighed. "It's not necessary, baby. We don't have any financial issues. Plus, you don't need a job anyway since you're going to marry me,". Yuto huffed and his eyes narrowed. "Nagi, for the last time....I'm not ready to get married yet,". Nagisa groaned, hugging Yuto tightly. "Does it bug you so much to marry me? We're literally just signing a paper,".

Yuto shook his head, looking away from him. "It's not bugging me to get tied down. But it's the commitment I'm afraid of. I'm not mentally prepared to make such a huge decision in my life. Please be a little more patient with me,". Nagisa grunted and kept on whining. "Come on, it's not so scary. You don't have to be scared when you're making the right choice. We're already practically married,". Yuto crossed his arms and grumbled. "I know it's the right choice but I'm not at a point in my life to make it. Please, let's just drop the subject. We can chat about this in a few years to come,".

Nagisa growled and sat up, frustrated. "Can't you see how many people are trying to take you away from me?! Why can't you understand that I only want to protect you?!". Yuto just stared at him, his mouth gaping like a fish.

His partner has never raised his voice at him before.

He opened his mouth to say something but Nagisa was on the hob. "No, you can't have a part-time job! You shouldn't! Why would you let more people into your life to rob me of you?!". Yuto could feel his heart pounding. He gulped and his hands shook like a tremor. If he had known that asking Nagisa about getting a job would tick him off so badly, he'd never have done it. He cleared his throat and tried to pat Nagisa on the back to calm him down but Nagisa jerked his hand away.

"Nagi, please c-calm-".

"I don't want to talk about this anymore,".

Just like that, Nagisa got up and headed for their bedroom, slamming the door loudly. Yuto was left speechless in the living area. His eyes stung as he picked Chitose up. He looked to their room and to his room and decided that they would be sleeping separately for the night. He trudged into his former room quietly, locking the door behind him.

He huddled up on his bed and felt hot tears etch down his cheeks.

"C-Chitose...what did I do wrong?".