Work Text
It was strange, but the older they got, the more Kyouko and Rei got along. Some things could never be forgiven, from either side, but some things…. Some things gave them a common enemy.Like their father, for example.‘’Remember when you were sixteen and being all disapproving of how Gotou was so much older than me? This is totally karma, bitch.’’Rei groaned into his pillows. ‘’Kyouko, you don’t get to lecture me about older boyfriends. Yours was married at the time. Mine’s just… older.’’Kyouko smirked as she helped herself to his fridge. ‘’Well, he isn’t married anymore. Dad can’t disapprove of that now.’’Rei wrinkled his nose. ‘’He can only disapprove if you tell him.’’Kyouko sighed, opening the pickle pot. ‘’I can hardly just move in with Gotou and just expect dad not to ask why we live in the same house and sleep in the same bed. Which is exactly why you’re going to come out of the closet at the same time as me.’’Rei choked. ‘’No. No way. Dad doesn’t even know I’m gay; Let alone that I’m with Souya.’’ ‘’What I said. Karma, bitch.’’Rei threw his pillow at her. ‘’I’m not going. Not unless you somehow convince Ayumu to get a boyfriend dad will disapprove of too.’’There. That’d be a safe bet.Kyouko’s eyes narrowed. ‘’Challenge accepted. If you want a damn siblings with forty plus boyfriends club, I’ll get you one.’’ That was the beginning of this entire nightmare.The mission, of course, required the gathering of information.‘’He’s in uni, working towards graduation on computer science.’’ Rei rattled off. ‘’He mentioned something about wanting to work on video games in the future.’’Kyouko hummed, tapping her pen against the paper. ‘’He’s mentioned exactly one guy in his class, but no real friendship there, I believe. You thinking what I’m thinking, Rei-chan?’’Her mocking lilt didn’t get to him after all these years, and neither did the way she stole the nickname the Kawamoto’s used for him. ‘’Kyouko, I never know what you’re thinking.’’‘’Good. I want to keep it that way. Keeping people guessing is always a good thing. But as to what I was thinking- when it comes down to it, we don’t know shit about Ayumu. That means he must be hiding something.’’Rei blinked. ‘’You think he already has an older boyfriend?’’Kyouko shook her head. ‘’We’re too early in the process to make concrete conclusions like that. We need to do some recon to expose all his dirty secrets.’’‘’Would you please quit making this sound so malicious?!’’‘’Rei, we’re literally trying to manipulate him into getting a boyfriend dad will disapprove of. Which part of that sounded nice to you?’’Rei shrugged, biting his lip. ‘’Are we really going to do this?’’Kyouko cackled. ‘’You think I’ll let you off now you’ve already agreed to the plan? Rei, you’re already incriminated. I have your dirty secrets in the palm of my hand now.’’And this was exactly why family reunions always turned into a shit fest.Staring at the dorms, Rei shuffled beside Kyouko. ‘’Are you sure we shouldn’t just… talk to Ayumu first? Or at least let him know we’re here?’’Kyouko elbowed him. ‘’Of course not, you idiot! You’ll put the mission object in jeopardy like that! You think I talk to people before I dig up all their dirt? Of course I don’t! Now, be quiet, he’s leaving the building.’’And yes, there Ayumu went, stealing into the night. Or well, as much as you could use an expression like that for a sleepy guy in a thick grey winter coat dragging a big bag somewhere at eight in the evening.It was all very suspicious.Once Ayumu had gotten out of sight, they approached the building, searching for Ayumu’s room. Once on the third floor, they knocked on the door.Ayumu’s roommate opened up, popping bubblegum in their face with the air of a student getting ready for an all-nighter. ‘’Yeah?’’Kyouko smiled sweetly. ‘’Is Ayumu in? Okaa-san asked me to bring him the clothing he left at the house last week.’’The guy sighed, exhaustion clear in his physique. ‘’Listen, lady, you’d do better to come back tomorrow morning. Ayumu’s never in during the nights. Outside exam weeks you’ve got a fat chance in hell of catching him here at this hour.’’Well. That went easier than expected.‘’Thank you for your help!’’ Kyouko chirped, and out they went.The next evening, they went back to follow Ayumu. They crossed several streets, leaving the campus and going to the city proper- the wind blowing fiercely. Rei stared at the sky with concern. The clouds had become dark and heady, rolling in overhead. Combined with the cold, it made him worry. Would it snow tonight?A traffic light. They waited until Ayumu crossed to cross themselves and then quickly followed behind. The light of the cars rushing by was terribly bright in the dark.There. Ayumu entered a building’s back entrance. Neon lights flashed, proudly proclaiming it to be a club. Rei made to follow Ayumu, but Kyouko nudged him towards the main entrance. ‘’Do you want to be discovered, Rei-chan? Because if so, I can arrange that at a later date with comprising pictures of you involved. Might earn me a pretty penny from the press too. But not right now if you know what’s good for you.’’Rei shut up and followed her in. Entering the club, his glasses fogged up. Once they cleared, it was awfully obvious how dreadfully out of place they were.Women in skimpy dresses, men in slinky numbers, others in pants with eyeliner sharp enough to cut a man. Huge wigs, fake tan and fake eyelashes as well. The smell of makeup, perfume and sweat were so present it made the air heady as if smogged up. Chains decorated bodies, as did glitters and sparkles everywhere. And there was leather. So much leather. Claw-like fake nails on hands raised in the air, the throng of people dancing on the floor down the stairs. Gender is hard to tell, and Rei wondered if he should assume a wibbly wobbly thing like gender in a place like this anyway.It was a drag club, and Ayumu just walked into the back like he belonged.They hang up their coats the garderobe, quiet and in thought. Just like that, they descend the stairs into the crowd and buy drinks just to have something to do. It’s a little shell-shocked. Rei doesn’t know how Kyouko’s taking it, but in his case it’s… more of a non-reaction than anything.It’s not that he’s judging Ayumu for going here, it’s more that he’d never expected Ayumu to be the type. Rei understood struggling with your own identity- finding out he was gay wasn’t exactly easy. Especially as it had been in such a troubling time of his life- he’d found out while still living with the Kouda’s. To think that all that time there was someone else who might’ve been struggling with their queerness under the same roof… It was mind-blowing.The crowd cheered loudly, stomping with their feet and rousing Rei from his thoughts. The podium’s occupied now, a drag queen performing a number with a surprisingly high voice. He also knew that voice, because he’d heard it come from the bathroom one too many times.It was… a thing to watch Ayumu perform like that. For one, the fact that he didn’t know they were there made Rei feel like a voyeur, peeping in on something he’s not supposed to see. On the other hand, Rei had never seen Ayumu so confident before in his life. Sure, there was no real unease to detect usually, but there always was a tension underneath Ayumu’s skin. Like he was about to burst out of his sweaters one day, too big to fit inside the small confinements of his body, of his own resigned attitude.Like this, though… Like this, Ayumu was comfortable in his own skin, an easy confidence Rei had never seen in him before. It feels right.He sunk back onto the barstool and enjoyed the show.It was only later, when the club was about to close and they’re waiting at the back entrance, that Rei remembered Kyouko. He suddenly felt immensely grateful that Ayumu had always been a dead zone to her. Where Rei was the target of her hate, her malice, where she attempted to sabotage his happiness for years, she never once touched Ayumu. Not like that.And standing here, clutching each other’s hands as they wait for their little brother, he doesn’t think she ever will. She loves him too much, and in a far less twisted way than her love for Rei.The door opened, and Ayumu came out. His big bag slung over his shoulder, and his nose buried into his woollen winter coat as the first cold wind slammed into him. His eyes fell upon them and widened, his face paling. ‘’What- what are you doing here?’’ His finger knuckles were white, clutching the door as if to slam it closed if they were to approach.Suddenly, Rei was terribly, terribly flustered. Bowing quickly, his face as red as a fire truck, he shouted: ‘’We support you in all your life decisions!’’Ayumu just stared, and Kyouko…. Kyouko bust a gut, laughing so hard it echoed in the nearly empty street. The few passersby startled, but walked on quickly, disappearing and reappearing in the street lights and the shadows surrounding them.Rei, who was dying of embarrassment because did Kyouko have to?!, bowed a couple times more for the good measure.Ayumu, meanwhile, just stood there, a little bit lost in the door opening. Behind him, someone yelled: ‘’Close the door before all the warmth gets out!’’He stepped outside, closing the side entrance with a metallic clang. He stared at his siblings some more. They were a bizarre sight, noses and cheeks red from the cold, Rei sweating in anxiety and Kyouko almost falling because she was laughing so hard.Why was he related to these people?!Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘’Come on, let’s go find a café that’s still open at this hour. We have a lot to talk about.’’Rei nodded, his breath slowing. Kyouko wiped the tears out of her eyes, as she took one arm of each brother, and began searching for an establishment.‘’So,’’ She said, ‘’Have any forty plus boyfriends hiding here too? Rei and I are making a club before we come out to dad. Then he can disapprove of us all equally.’’Ayumu laughed. ‘’Can’t say I do, but to be honest, it was about time I came out of the closet. You have no idea how much I wanted to steal that party dress of yours.’’Kyouko cackled. ‘’Get your own!’’‘’That’s what you said to me too when I told you you shouldn’t date a guy almost two decades older than you,’’ Rei grumbled.‘’Well, I was right wasn’t I?’’There was no arguing with that. It was Saturday evening, and for once, all three of the children of the Kouda household had come for dinner. To celebrate, their mother had made katsudon, which was being eaten with great enthusiasm. Thus, Kouda had only just taken a sip of his drink when Rei spoke up.‘’Otou-san, would this be a good time to tell you I’m dating the Meijin?’’Kouda choked on his drink.Kyouko, hastily swallowing a mouthful of pork, saw her chance and pounced. ‘’Also, I’m moving out to shack up with Gotou.’’More coughing. Their mother stood up, getting over her shock to slap her husband on the back. Finally regaining his breath, Kouda spoke. ‘’What’s next? Ayumu confessing he’s a drag queen?’’The children looked at each other from the corners of their eyes. An awkward silence ensued.Kouda groaned and buried his head in his hands. ‘’Well, that’s the one I have the least problems with.’’Kyouko relaxed. Their dad could say anything about Rei and her (preferably Rei, though, she’d have no problem with throwing him lovingly under a bus once in a while when she got the chance), but Ayumu was out of the question, period.The children once again looked at each other, and then picked up their chopsticks as if nothing had happened. With that, dinner resumed.Kouda was very happy there was finally unity in the household, but why did it have to be the boyfriends.