I kind of wanted to show Takahiro in a different light? Well, and I wanted to write Manami, because she is awesome. :)

This is set several years before "A New Year's Incident."

Sliiiight spoilers for volumes 9+. Nothing plot related, only a character name.

A Family Incident

She noticed immediately that something was wrong. Her husband wasn't smiling when he entered the door; he barely acknowledged when their son ran to him and asked to be picked up. Takahiro made his way to the bedroom in a somewhat stupefied matter, answering her questions and Mahiro's clamors with shrugs and grunts.

Manami turned the stove off and made her way to join him, giving Mahiro a quick pat on the head to distract him from his father's disinterest. Hopefully he'd be able to entertain himself with whatever animated movie was playing on TV.

"Darling, what's wrong?" she asked, closing the door behind her. Takahiro was sitting on their bed, his suit jacket thrown over a chair but otherwise still in his work clothes.

"I-- I had a talk with Misaki today," he said, clasping his hands together. Manami sat down next to him, reaching out to touch his arm.

"Oh? What sort of talk?"

Only Misaki could make Takahiro look so pained, she thought. If there was something she had learned during the course of their relationship, it was that his little brother was the most important person to him. She didn't doubt his love for her or their son, but she understood that he had practically raised Misaki, and that he had grown to need Misaki's dependence as much as Misaki needed him to care for him. Perhaps he had a little bit of a brother complex, but she loved him, so it didn't matter.

"Misaki told me that... Ah, he told me that..." Takahiro paused, perhaps to collect his thoughts or reword what was going through his mind. It was a different side to him, because he would usually blurt out his feelings so casually. Manami almost smiled, remembering how he had confessed to her, not worrying at all about her reaction.

"He and Usagi-san are in a relationship. That's what he told me. That they're lovers."

Inwardly, Manami applauded Misaki for finally coming out to Takahiro. For Takahiro, she squeezed his arm lightly and asked, "And how did you react?"

"Ah, I thought it was a joke at first. But when I noticed he was serious... I don't know. I think I was in shock. I told him to let me digest this. He looked sad when I was leaving."

She could almost picture it, Misaki forcing out the words and Takahiro clapping him on the shoulder, telling him not to tell such silly jokes. "Well, so how do you feel about it?"

"It's strange. Usagi-san is my best friend. I entrusted him with Misaki's care, and then..." He hung his head, disappointment creeping into his voice.

"Wait, wait, stop. I want to remind you that Misaki is an adult now. He and Usami-sensei met when Misaki was 18, so he wasn't a little boy then either." If there was one thing about Takahiro that she would change, it was that he still saw Misaki as a little boy. There was nothing wrong with being close to your little brother, as long as you treated him the age he actually was.

"Manami, you're siding with him?" He looked at her as he said this, and Manami made a show of rolling her eyes.

"I'm not siding with anybody, Takahiro. But look at it from Misaki's point of view. How hard do you think it was for him to tell you?"

"... probably very hard."

"And why do you think he told you?" With Takahiro, you had to go in baby-steps sometimes.

"Because... it was important to him?"

"Right. Because he wants you to accept the two of them. He loves you, Takahiro, and I think your opinion really matters to him. Imagine...," and she stood up, startling Takahiro, and struck a dramatic pose. "Imagine that when you told him you and I were dating, he had thrown a fit? Had said he couldn't accept our love? That it was wrong or unnatural and that if you ever wanted to speak to him again, you'd have to break up with me? What if he condemned our love and made you commit seppuku in order to restore honor to the family name, and--"

"Ah, Manami, I never said any of that," he interrupted her gently.

"... Oh, right. Sorry," she felt her cheeks heat up, then flopped back down next to him. "The point is, he loves Usami-sensei very much, and it's important to him that you're happy for him."

"Aah, Manami, it's good that I married you. You're so much smarter than I am." Very suddenly, he pulled her into his lap, eliciting a short cry of surprise from her. He didn't waste any time leaning in to kiss her and letting his fingers wander under her blouse.

She giggled and half-heartedly pushed his hand away, letting her own fingers slowly unbutton his shirt--

"Mom, I'm hungry!" Mahiro cried from the living room. She and Takahiro both sighed in disappointment.

"After dinner," she promised as she got up. Takahiro nodded, his smile finally back. Thinking hard didn't suit him at all.

The phone rang during dinner, and Manami picked up because she was the one sitting closest to it. Takahiro was busy telling Mahiro the story of how there really, really, really was a bunny on the moon, and that it pounded mochi and wrote novels.

"Hello? Takahiro, please don't blame Misaki for any of this, it was all me, and I--"

"Ah, no, this is Manami. How are you, sensei?" She tried to say the last word quietly, so that Takahiro wouldn't hear her, then decided it would be best to take the conversation to another room. She motioned shortly to her husband, who just smiled and nodded and resumed telling his son outrageous tales.

In the privacy of bedroom, she could finally pay attention to the conversation. "Usami-sensei, how are things on your end?"

"Ah. Fairly well, I suppose."

She rolled her eyes. While she did not expect to become best friends with Usami-sensei, she also wished he weren't so stand-offish to her. What she had done to deserve this treatment, she had no idea. Didn't he realize that she was always supporting the two of them?

"Usami-sensei, I don't believe you."

"Just let me speak to Takahiro," he replied curtly. Then there was a clatter behind him, and Misaki's voice yelling in the background: "What? Takahiro? Are you talking to my brother? Give me the phone I need to--"

They must have fought over the receiver, because she heard several thuds and bumps and a couple of shrieks (very manly ones, of course). Somehow, Misaki must have managed to come out on top of that scuffle, because he was the one to speak to her next.

"Please, Nii-chan, I'm so sorry, and if you really disapprove of this, I... I..."

"Misaki, don't worry. I've already spoken with Takahiro," she said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Ack, Manami?"

For a split second, she was annoyed; she did live with Takahiro, and it wasn't that unlikely for her to pick up the phone instead of her husband. Why were they always so surprised to hear her voice? But she quickly pushed her annoyance aside and returned to the matter at hand.

"Yes. Listen, Misaki, I think you did the right thing. You can't hide forever. And if Takahiro ever says anything stupid to you, just let me know and I'll whack him for you."

"Wow, um, uh, thanks." Misaki sounded genuinely stunned. He was probably expecting a similar reaction as Takahiro had given, if not outright disapproval.

"I'm cheering you and Usami-sensei on, all right?"

With a bit of suspicion in his voice, Misaki said, "... You don't sound surprised at all."

"Well, no. I've known for a while. Takahiro may be oblivious, but I'm not."

"Oh god I want to die! And Usagi-san stop touching me!"

Manami had to laugh, trying to imagine what Usami-sensei was doing on the other end. "Well, it's not your fault, Misaki. But tell Usami-sensei that names like Akihiko, Misaki, and Hirotaka all in one novel isn't very subtle."

"......... Manami, you, um, read those?"

"They're very popular in my office."

"......... You stupid rabbit, I'm going to kill you!"

She listened to them argue for a bit, then interjected, "Do you want to talk to Takahiro? I think he'd be willing to listen now."

"Ah, yeah, that'd be good. Thanks."

She went out to hand Takahiro the phone. "It's Misaki," she said quietly, and he only nodded as he took the phone. Before leaving the room, he turned to mouth "thank you" at her.

It was good that he and his brother would make up. For one, Mahiro would have missed his uncle severely. And for another, Manami couldn't imagine Takahiro without a brother complex.

She put Mahiro to bed (after a few protests) and quietly made her way back to her bedroom. Takahiro was still on the phone, but he was talking animatedly, smiling, and from the look of things, everything was going to be all right.

-

Comments appreciated!