Title: Business and Pleasure

Author: CreativityIsIntelligence

Word Count: 2,630

Genre: mostly romance and a little humor

Paring: Brother Conflict Various (which in my book basically means all of them) x Oc

…

Keys

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Emphasize (or it could just mean sarcasm)

Emphasize (2)

...

"Wow! The cake is huge!" Wataru's eyes sparkled in happiness as he took in the pastry set down before him. True to his choice of word, the cake was indeed big. It was also beautifully decorated, slices of fruit and dollops of whipped cream garnishing its surface. The words 'Happy Birthday' written neatly on a thin slice of chocolate and placed at the very middle of the cake as the centerpiece.

The cake was beautifully made to the point where it looked store-bought. All of the brothers noticed and could feel their mouths watering in anticipation of the taste test. Their hearts also warmed at the notions that their two new sisters had put so much effort and hard work into making this cake for them.

Choruses of "it looks delicious!" "Good work, little sisters", "it's almost a waste to eat it!" Sounded from around the table in an expression of this excitement.

All the while the two sisters, who had prepared the cake, stood beside each other, receiving the compliments in vastly different manners; while Ema muttered thanks and blushed brightly, Chieko merely nodded.

To be frank, Chieko couldn't quite understand the excitement. It was only a cake, after all. Yet, despite her thought, a smile threatened to bloom on her face as she watched the youngest brother's eyes light up.

For reasons unknown to her, Chieko had always felt a certain fondness for younger kids. She had never felt a yearning for a younger sibling, nor an older one at that, she was perfectly content with her one sibling (Ema). However, at times, the (invalid) guilt that Ema felt due to others doing things for her was annoying.

"Amazing! It looks delicious!" Wataru gushed, clasping his hands over his chest as he gazed at the cake in awe.

"Wataru, this is something that your older sisters made for Subaru for his birthday. You shouldn't be happier than Subaru, alright?" Masaomi spoke softly, his voice holding a slight scolding tone.

At his older brother's words, Wataru's head dropped in shame, his excitement dissipating — Chieko's mood dropped with his.

Chieko felt her heart sink as she saw the young boy's eyes glaze over; sadness didn't suit Wataru. (She also felt a little peeved at the doctor but she chose not to confront those emotions, at least not in the moment.) As she watched the boy run over to Subaru with the intention of apologizing, the words spilled past her lips before she knew what she was saying.

"I'll make an even bigger cake for you."

As soon as the words left her lips, all eyes were directed at her, but she only paid attention to a pair of sparkling brown eyes.

"When it's your birthday — or whenever you want, we have all the time in the world, after all..." as much as Chieko tried to hide her bitterness in the last part, some of it still shined through, yet she still managed to maintain a tight-lipped smile.

"Really?! You'll make me a cake?! Can I choose?" Enthusiasm radiated off of Wataru's form as he inquired excitedly. Chieko nodded, fighting smile threatening to adorn her lips. The kid truly was adorable.

"You'll love Chieko's baking, she makes the best sweets," Ema commented, a wide grin on her face as she spoke, giving Chieko a knowing look as she did.

Ema, after all, was one of the few people who knew about Chieko's distaste to baking. She only ever baked for two people; Ema and Rintaro, and even then, both could count the occasions on one hand.

"I can't wait! Can we make on together tomorrow!" Wataru asked, his face glowing.

"Wataru, don't be so —" Masaomi started, only to be interrupted by Chieko, who — despite what she might say — didn't want to see Wataru down again.

"It's fine. I'd love to, Wataru."

"Yay!" The pink-haired boy celebrated, bouncing around the table to sit next to the youngest of his new sisters. "I wanna make a strawberry cheesecake!"

Surprised at his actions, Chieko merely nodded, offering a small smile — and that seemed to appease the young boy.

The rest of the family just watched the scene quietly, their eyes filled with fondness.

"I-I can't eat this…" Yuusuke muttered, shattering the comfortable silence that had fallen over the dinner table.

At that Ema bristled slightly, "D-do you dislike cake?" Distress laced her words. She was worried that she had made a mistake, Chieko immediately concluded.

"No that's not it!" Yuusuke quickly denied, his face flushing as he nervously glanced at Chieko before settling his gaze on her older sister. "You both made it, and put all of the efforts into it; I would feel bad not eating it — and I really want to eat it! It looks delicious! — but somehow…I can't eat this." The redhead stumbled over his words, stuttering and mumbling, but the last part was said with resolve.

'Are these the inner conflicts people my age are facing?' Chieko thought, disappointment washing over her.

"Ah, I see," Tsubaki hummed, faux realization lighting up his face. "Since Yuusuke can't eat it, I'll be happy to have your slice as well! After all, the cake was made with Chieko-chan's affection — I can't possibly pass up this opportunity! I feel like I could eat the whole thing!"

"H-hey, Tsuba-nii!" Yuusuke shouted, flustered at how his brother had managed to turn his words against him.

Ignoring the redheads ignited shout, Tsubaki turned his head to look at Chieko, his eyes wide and glimmering. "I would be even happier if you fed me, little sister!"

Ema flinched, her mind running as she tried to come up with a suitable response before her sister, who the offer was initially directed at, could say anything more...crude.

"I'd rather not." The younger brunette said, leveling the violet-eyed boy with a cold stare.

At that Ema winced once again, flailing her hands as she attempted to excuse her sister, "Chieko's just not the affectionate type..." she mumbled.

Tsubaki, as well as of the few other brothers, nodded, taking note of that fact. However, the silver-haired brother never took his eyes off his younger sister. "Then would prefer being fed? I'd love to feel you, little sister! Come here, say 'ah'" Tsubaki beamed, bringing up a forkful off cake to Chieko's face.

"No thank you," Chieko denied once again, bringing a hand in front of her mouth to block the fork while trying to conceal her twitching eyebrow. What did he take her for? A child?

"But I really want to feed you..." whined Tsubaki, and just as Chieko prepared to deny his request once again, she caught a glimpse of Ema. Her sister had already broken out in cold sweat, her eyes beginning to glaze over with unshed tears.

"Fine. But you won't feed me, I'll be happy to feed my brother." Chieko gritted out, a tight-lipped smile on her lips.

Tsubaki seemed to light up, mirth and glee dancing in his orbs before they were covered by pale eyelids as he closed his eyes and opened his mouth in preparation, but not before commenting on how much he loved his new sister.

However, nothing entered his awaiting mouth, even as multiple minutes ticked by, and as he opened his mouth his playful facade dropped for perhaps the first time today as he took in the sight before him. Chieko was indeed feeding her brother — it just was him; it was Wataru.

Quickly, Tsubaki's shock and confusion morphed into amusement. "I'm sure Masaomi could feed Wataru, but I don't have anyone to feed me, Chieko-Chan." Even as he pouted, Tsubaki fought to conceal his smile — playing with his little sister was really fun.

"Thankfully you can feed yourself." Chieko retorted, not even looking at his as she pulled the now clean spoon away from Wataru.

"Your so mean little sister!" Even as he whined, Tsubaki couldn't stop the chuckles that escaped his lips, a few of his brothers joining him in his laughter. There wasn't anything particularly funny, it was just that the atmosphere, for what felt like the first time, was light and carefree and the brothers all felt joyful.

As the mood calmed, the sibling settled back down. Lighthearted chatter flitted throughout the table, almost everyone was involved in a conversation, well, except for the birthday boy himself

"Why are you so down Subaru? Shouldn't you be the most excited? After all, our little sisters went through all the trouble of making you a cake." Tsubaki teased, a mischievous expression painted on his face.

The aforementioned boy was quick to deny the statement, shaking his head wildly before speaking up, "it has nothing to do with that..." but that was where he stopped, not giving a proper explanation.

At his words, Ema's expression morphed into one of worry, her lips pulled into a tight line as she murmured a quiet "Subaru-san..."

As if sensing Ema's worry, Kaname stepped up, amusement flickering in his eyes as he put on a concerned mask. "Don't worry little sister, it's alright. Although it an incurable illness, Subaru will learn to deal with it. I seem to have contracted the same illness as well."

Ema seemed to be obvious to meaning hidden behind Kaname's words, but Chieko immediately recognized the less than innocent connotation — all it took was one look at the blonde's lecherous eyes.

Resisting the urge to ask the blonde how much time he had left, Chieko cleared her throat loudly. "Well that's unfortunate, maybe try consulting a medical professional." She suggested, her tone flat and obviously unbelieving. "Speaking of which, isn't one of your brothers a doctor? Masaomi-san I believe." No one missed the fact that she chose to refer to him as Kaname's brother, and not hers.

Chieko's attempt to divert the conversation didn't go unnoticed but the blonde easily sidestepped it. Since he sat behind the short-haired brunette, Kaname easily slid his hand behind her chair before speaking, "he is. However, in all honesty, if I could, I would prefer to suffer from this illness."

Pushing her seat backward and successfully forcing Kaname to remove his hand, Chieko replied calmly, though there was an underlying bite to her words. "I believe that means you're a masochist, Kaname-san. Although I understand this is not in your control, I advise you not to say such things with a younger audience present. We wouldn't want to corrupt young Wataru-kun's mind." Her facial expression was indifferent, yet her tone was cold.

Silence fell over the table as the seconds ticked by, but Chieko just sat on her chair, a distance away from the table (thanks to Kaname), with her back straight, her shoulders back, and her chin jutted forward in confidence. Yet, she didn't seem to be tense or stiff, her form calm and relaxed. Her eyes, in contrast, we cold and calculating as they swept over the table carefully.

Not a minute after the last word was said, the table erupted in laughter, Tsubaki being the first to instigate it. The only who wasn't chuckling was Ema, who sat with her head bent down, though she seemed to feel better when she saw Kaname laughing along.

"I'm really happy you're our sister Chieko-chan! That was hilarious!" Tsubaki said once everyone had calmed down slightly, his fingers rubbing away at the tears that had sprung from his eyes at his strong laughter. "You too Ema-chan."

While the statement seemed to make Ema light up with joy, Chieko nodded. She was thankful for the Asahina family's quick acceptance and warm, it made Ema so happy after all, but to her, all of this felt very foreign, to put it nicely.

And so, the conversation continued to flow between the new family.

As the minutes ticked by, Chieko, who had managed to evade anymore conversation by redirecting any discussions that came her way, let herself observe the people around her.

The Asahina family was a rowdy bunch, but that was to be expected with thirteen brothers. They were a diverse group of brothers, each one unique and standing alone. Despite everything, the only two that seemed even remotely dependent on the brothers were Yuusuke and Wataru — and those were two of the youngest brothers. In some ways, it seemed like the family that would best fit Chieko, she, after all, was a person who liked to be self-reliant, she thrived alone. However, the thought left a sour taste in her mouth. Contrary to what most might think, and what even she would say to deny it, Chieko was very dependent on Ema. In more than one was, Ema was her rock, keeping her anchored and awarded in times where she needed it most.

She might be fond of the idea of a new family, but the Asahina family (from what she had seen so far) were nice people, she hoped they were to each other what Ema was to her.

"Can I ask you about something?"

The soft voice pulled her away from her thoughts, slowly, she turned her head to look at the seat before she — where the voice had from.

'Iori-san.' She thought, recognizing the boy's charming and princely features — at least that was how Ema described him in the picture Rintarou sent them.

Curious, Chieko nodded, giving the boy her full attention, unaware that many of the occupants of the room had also tuned into their conversation.

"Why did you change your hairstyle today?" He asked, his eyes glancing at her hair as if to prove his point. "Ema-san too..."

Disappointed at the questions, Chieko didn't a word, instead turning to look at Ema as a cue for her to answer this question.

"Ah, Louis-san did this for me, "It's a party" is what he said"

"So it's like that…" Iroi nodded in understanding, his tone slightly disappointed...? What had he been expecting? But as quick as it came, the signs of disappointment were gone, leaving nothing but a charming smile in their wake. "The new hairstyles suit you both well."

At the compliment Ema flushed once again, bowing her as she thanked him.

Author's Note: so, it's been a while...I didn't initially plan to update this anytime soon however, I already had this scene written out a long time ago and only had to (heavily) edit it. Also, nothing really exciting happened, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to update anytime this week so I figured I'd at least post to let you guys know that the story isn't dead (yet) and neither am I.

Lastly, I might edit and change a few of the earlier chapters, or I might just revamp the whole story later on — I recently read some of the earlier chapters and most were lackluster if not completely confusing.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, helpful criticism is welcomed! I apologies for any typos or mistakes that might have slipped past me.