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"NIKORU, I SWEAR BY the fucking newspaper worshipping gods if you try to sneak any more of this tonkatsu teishoku, I will steal your sewing stuff and sell it on Ebay." Jurine pointed the spatula at her best friend, eyes burning into her, holding Nikoru's wrist as she not so subtly tried to steal a piece of pork.
Nikoru gave her a puppy-eyed look, but it didn't work on Jurine. After all these years of being exposed to that look, Jurine Midorikawa was desensitized to it. She knew the evil behind those innocent-looking eyes. "But I'm hungry."
"You will eat when Eeyore and Idiot Pikachu arrive."
Nikoru bit her bottom lip. "Really?"
"Yes, really," Jurine replied, wiping her hair in Nikoru's face as she turned. "Don't act like the names aren't accurate."
Nikoru's mom came into the kitchen, pulling her hair into a bun. "Jurine, aren't you going to change?"
Jurine turned to her aunt, brow raised. "Change? Why do I need to- Ah! Not this time, bitch!" Her arm shot out and hit Nikoru on the arm hard enough to leave a red mark. She started pushing her cousin out of the kitchen as she returned to her previous thought. "Why do I need to change, Aunt Yukiyo? It's not like anyone important is coming."
"But you can still dress in a nicer shirt than that." Aunt Yukiyo's nose wrinkled in the baggy T-shirt that covered her boy shorts completely. "Guests are coming regardless. Now stop playing with Nikoru and go get into something nicer. It doesn't have to be too nice though."
"Fine, but don't expect a runway outfit." She hooked her arms around Nikoru, carrying her sneaky ass with her into Jurine's room so she wouldn't steal any of the god damn dinner.
"So, you're not nervous about having the twins come over?" Nikoru plopped on Jurine's bed, pushing the current issue of Fruit Baskets she was reading out of the way.
Jurine started rummaging through the closet. "Not really. Why would I?"
"I mean, the guy you are fake-dating is coming over. You don't think Mom or Daddy are going to do anything?"
"Well, Aunt Yuki knows about that already. She was with us when you held my hostage in the chair. Your dad. . .well, he'd be an asshole, but protective dad anyway regardless of the legitimacy. But he won't actually do anything. He'll just, like, try to find some malicious intent why Atsumu is bugging me."
"Hmm."
Jurine paused with two shirts in her hands debating, turned her head at that disconcerting sound. "What?"
"Nothing. Ignore me."
"Hard to when every time you 'hmm'-ed, it was because you came up with something sneaky."
Nikoru laid back on the bed, raising her legs up in the air. "Just thought it was amusing you called him by his name. Usually you call him Ratsumu or some name from your list of offhand insults."
Jurine froze. "You misheard." She tossed a shirt behind her. Based on the noise she heard a second later, she hit Nikoru somehow. "That's yours, by the way. It got into my closet somehow."
"Was wondering where this went off to," she grumbled. "But don't change the subject. Are you getting attached, my sweet, prickly little cactus of a cousin?"
"No, I am not. It's not anything big to refer to someone by their name."
"Lies. If you ever called me Nikoru, it's because you are mad at me. Or I did something really stupid and you are about to kill me, stuff my corpse into a body bag and are going to dump me in some river or dock. That's a dangerous word for me."
"Where the hell would the body bag come from?"
Nikoru shrugged. "I'm not the one who tries to kill Atsumu every time I see him. Just be careful, okay?"
Finally finding a decent shirt and jeans, she started changing her clothes. Jurine caught a look in the mirror, the stretch marks along her back and sides of her hips from where the weight had been prominent not long ago. There were some along the upper arms, pushing her to wear jackets with anything she wore. Jurine didn't particularly like looking at them or being reminded of them.
Turning away, Jurine hopped into the jeans and shirt (that covered the marks on her upper arms). "Be careful of what exactly?"
Nikoru let out a breath. "I just don't want this little. . . thing you have with him coming back to kick you in the butt. It goes without saying if he hurts you, I will murder him and hide his body, but. . ." She pushed her hair behind her shoulder. "I just don't want you to sabotage yourself. With everything you've been through, just if you feel like you need to stop doing this, then it is okay to do that."
Jurine rolled her eyes. "You don't have to worry about that, Niko."
Nikoru had a look on her face that was obvious she did not believe her, but she knew better than to argue back and forth with Jurine. At that moment, the bell rang, cutting off the rest of the conversation.
As they got to the living room, they could hear Nikoru's mom talking to someone. Seeing the familiar mop of golden hair, Jurine had to take a deep breath to ready herself for the insanity that this dinner would be. "Maybe we can cancel this?"
"What, you want to tell them to go home now?"
"Jurine!" Atsumu's face lit up as the girls entered the room fully.
"Where's Osamu?" Nikoru asked, looking behind him through the door as if that would make her Miya twin appear.
"He's sick. He got sick somehow, so he had to stay home. Our mom didn't want him to leave. Sorry, Niko."
Nikoru gave a disheartened pout, but didn't say much else about it.
"We have a guest?" Uncle Kosaku stepped at the last step going upstairs. As his eyes landed on Atsumu, Jurine saw the recognition immediately, and fear exploded in her stomach. "Oh shit, we were having dinner tonight, weren't we?"
Aunt Yukiyo sighed, smiling. "Yes, dear."
Nikoru groaned. "Dad, why are you wearing that shirt?" She gestured to the white shirt that said Number #1 Uncle & Dad.
"It's comfortable" He beamed proudly. "Which one is he?" He pointed to Atsumu.
"Atsumu, sir." Atsumu gave a bow.
"Oh, so you're little blossom's friend."
Jurine cringed. Oh no. No, no, no! Not that goddamn name! Facepalming, Jurine peaked at Atsumu through her fingers and the last bit of hope she had evaporated as she saw the look of absolute glee at hearing this name.
Thankfully, before he could tease her, or her uncle embarrass her to her death, Aunt Yukiyo suggested they go ahead and get to eating.
As they sat down to dinner, Jurine sat next to Nikoru and across from Atsumu. If there was one thing Jurine hated, it was small talk. What did you talk about? The weather? Theoretical physics? Ask the guest why he was an egotistical pain in the ass who meddled into your life for shits and giggles?
"I hope you like what we have. Jurine worked hard to make sure it was delicious." Aunt Yukiyo beamed with pride at her niece.
Jurine's face flushed. "There's no point in cooking if it's done halfway. It wastes the ingredients." She held the small bowl of soup, using it as a blocker so she wouldn't have to talk.
"Don't be so modest, sweetie. You're a great cook. There's no shame in being proud of what you're good at." She gave a wink to Jurine as she turned to Atsumu. "You may not know, but she's our own little Gordon Ramsey in training. She loves cooking new things."
Do you hate me Aunt Yukiyo? Is this my punishment for eating your veggie chips yesterday? Ignoring the smile Atsumu and her aunt and uncle were giving her, Jurine nudged Nikoru with her foot asking - no, begging - for a god damn rescue from this trauma. Nikoru gave her a wink.
"You know, this reminds me of the first time Jurine came over with Aunt Michiko and Uncle Kosami. She took one look at Dad and just started crying."
No one in this goddamn house likes me. It's their job to kill me with second hand embarrassment.
Nikoru's parents' eyes lit up at that memory. "Oh, I completely forgot about that." Her uncle's deep laugh seemed to resonate through the room. "I felt so bad about that."
Atsumu gave a questioning look. "What happened?"
"When my brother and his wife brought Jurine over once everything was finalized, we all decided to have dinner together to celebrate."
"Celebrate what?"
"Her adoption," Aunt Yukiyo answered.
Atsumu paused with meat skewered with his fork halfway to his mouth when he froze. Genuine interest and surprise danced as he looked at Jurine. "You're adopted?"
"Yes, I am. Why?"
He looked between the cousins, growing very confused. "How do you two look alike then?"
"Magic, who knows?"
"I call it fate. I was the one who picked her out." Nikoru chuckled. "I knew the second I saw her, she was my best friend. I refused to meet any other kid or leave until we left with her."
It was a bit more complicated than that, but it still feels good to hear that. Jurine smiled at the memory. The reason behind their close bond was based and started with the truth that Nikoru was the first person to approach Jurine with warmth and kindness. After years of abuse in the system, Nikoru appeared like that first ray of eternal light that enveloped you.
"As I said, we wanted to celebrate her joining the family. I believe she was seven? Up until that point, Jurine had never met twins. My brother and I are identical so when she saw a man who looked exactly like Daddy all she could do was start crying. She hid behind Nikoru and wouldn't come near us cause she didn't know which one of us was Kosami."
"Someone please put me out of my misery. . ."
This was going to be a long dinner.
-------
"Why are you looking like you're about to sneak out for a late night rendezvous?" Jurine stared at Nikoru as she quietly closed her bedroom door, dressed in all black with a backpack.
"Because I am sneaking out for a late night rendezvous. Of the innocuous kind. Where's your beanies at?"
Jurine pointed to the closet. "On the top right shelf." As she watched Nikoru settle a black beanie on her head, tucking her hair in, Jurine paused strumming her guitar.
"You do know if you get caught, your mom's gonna box your ears."
"Which is why you're gonna cover for me. She knows you're too goody-two-shoes to sneak out."
"I wonder how your classmates would react to see this side of you."
Nikoru stuck her tongue out. "If Mom asks for me, tell her I crashed from an all-nighter or something." She opened Jurine's window and started climbing out.
Jurine sighed. "Fine, but if you get caught, you're not taking me down with your ship. Also, why is it my window you use to sneak out of?"
"Because the street is accessible from here. My window creaks when you open it and Mom has super hearing. She refuses to fix it so she'll know when I sneak out."
Hopping outside, she throws a peace sign to Jurine before running off to wherever the fuck Nikoru does when she sneaks out.
"That girl is why some parents monitor their kids." She chuckled.
About half an hour later, as Jurine was back at playing the guitar, she heard a familiar tapping on the window.
Pausing, Jurine set the guitar on the bed as she rose to open the window. "I swear, this girl is lucky the master bedroom isn't on this side of the house or her ass would be grounded until she entered college." Pulling the curtains back and lifting the window, she added, "Niko, you really should-"
She stared at a pair of golden eyes, which were equally - if not more - surprised. Atsumu's eyes were wide, but quickly narrowed like a feline looking at its favorite canary.
"Well ya sure know how to give me the best surprises, Juri," he teased, eyes trailing down. "I can see now why ya like yoga so much." His cat-like eyes made a quick look down and as Jurine followed his gaze. . .to her shorts and sports bra.
Letting out a loud and rare girly scream, she shoved her hands in his face. Surprised, Atsumu fell back on the ground as she drew the curtains back.
Two seconds later, the door burst open as her aunt came in wielding a baseball bat and eyes wild. As she scanned the room, her face furrowed in confusion. "Oh thank god. Jurine, why did you yell like a burglar got in? You gave me a heart attack!"
"When did we get a bat?"
"That isn't important." Lowering the bat, she tilted her head. "Why'd you scream?"
"Sorry, Aunt Yuki. There was a roach that attacked me during my stretches." The lie came so quickly, Jurine couldn't stop it. However, the last thing she needed was her aunt to know Atsumu-fucking-Miya was outside the goddamn window. Jurine has yet to be grounded and she was keeping that winning streak going.
"A roach?" she repeated the words as if she didn't believe her.
Jurine nodded. "It was a flying roach."
"Ah. . . " Shivering in disgust, she asked, "You killed it right?" As Jurine lifted a thumbs up, her aunt sighed. "I'll call the bug man tomorrow. Not risking it. Goodnight, sweetie."
"Night." She peaked open her door, hearing the faint noise of the master bedroom closing. Quickly locking her door, throwing a shirt on, she ran back to the window. "Why are you outside my window?"
Atsumu gave a small pout. "Aw, you put a shirt on. No need to be shy, I'm a man of preferences."
"Burn that image out of your otherwise empty head." Her cheeks burned red again even though the cool breeze did little to cool her off. "I thought you were Niko sneaking back in."
He raised an eyebrow. "How often does she do that?"
"Enough my window is always unlocked so she can sneak in and out, but you didn't answer me. Why are you here? You just left," she stole a look at her alarm clock, "not an hour ago."
"Nikoru came over and is probably doing some kinky Florence Nightingale shit. There are some things I don't need to see." He groaned. "Can I come in?" His eyes shined and Jurine could see the puppy ears on his head and tail wagging.
"Hell no. This is my domain."
"Please. I promise I'll behave."
Jurine's mouth pulled into a thin line. If she let him, and he got caught, she wouldn't just be dead. She would be unable to reincarnate into any life afterwards. But if she didn't, she knew he'd pester her until she conceded.
"Fine, but you will remain quiet. If my aunt or uncle sees you, you die."
Pushing the window up completely, Atsumu wiggled through. His legs caught on the window and he spazzed to the ground, causing his shirt to expose his muscled backside.
"Need help?"
"I got it!" After a bit of maneuvering, Atsumu unhooked his feet and fully entered the room. "Tada!"
She shot him an unimpressed look. "How clever, you know how to climb in a window." Crossing her arms, she watched him welcome himself to exploring her room.
"Your room is super neat," he observed, seeing everything spick and span.
No clutter present or clothes on the floor. Her bed and small table to one corner, a desk in another with a laptop. A book shelf stuffed with countless books even stacked sideways on top of others. A few photos scattered across the four walls of Juri with Niko, her aunt and uncle. School books sat perfectly on top of the dresser by the door. A rainbow rug in the middle of the room.
"Are you sure you're not an old lady? No teenager has this clean and perfect room."
She raised a brow. "I like order. If you want to see a messy room, you should see Niko's. No, don't -" She started, but stopped as he belly-flopped on her bed.
Holding the guitar in his hands, he started strumming it like any idiot who didn't know how to play a fucking guitar. "How long have you been playing the guitar? Will you be able to serenade your love for me if I win?"
Jurine snatched it, setting it back on the stand her uncle nailed into the wall specially for it. "About three years. No, I will not because I am tone deaf at singing. Plus, I won't lose." She tapped her nails against the wall for a moment as she focused on gathering her sanity that buzzed around the room and replant it into her cranium.
As she turned to say something else, she flinched in surprise when she saw how close Atsumu was; their faces close enough she saw the sparkle of damnable mischief in his eyes. The fucker even had his hands on either side of her like some shojo manga character.
"Ya know, what you did to me yesterday wasn't nice, Juri." He leaned forward, leaving her no choice but to press against the wall.
Did this fucker just silently kabedon me?
Smirking, she tilted her head. "Is that why you snuck back here? To get revenge that you got a hard on at school? Sounds like a personal issue. Don't worry, kid." She gave a condescending pat to his cheek. "That's a normal bodily reaction for male. It's nothing to be frightened of."
Atsumu glared at her with a touch of dark humor as he took her wrist. His long fingers could completely wrap around her dainty wrist. "You know, I'm a firm believer in tit-for-tat. You were a very bad girl by leaving me like that, so it only seems justified if I return it. Right?"
Jurine curled her lip. "If you so much as-" Fully ready to break his hand, Jurine barely kept a scream from leaving as he tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. "What the fuck are you- Shit!"
She wrapped her arms around his waist as Atsumu began spinning in a circle again, again, and again.
"Oh god, stop spinning me, you ignoramus," she hissed quietly. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"Huh? Sorry, can't hear you." He continued to spin and all Jurine saw was her floor spinning round and round at a speed her eyes couldn't handle. Dizziness swam in her eyes, forcing her to shut them and her stomach jumped into her throat.
"I am so cutting off your balls when this is over," she hissed, getting even more annoyed as she heard his chuckle at her words. "Let me go this instant!"
The next second Jurine bounced on her bed. Jurine's bangs fell out of their hairpin, falling over her face. Jurine tried to sit up but she was still dizzy from the numerous spins. As her head cleared up, she saw Atsumu hovering over her, his arms stretched out on either side of her and legs boxing her in.
"Now, what shall I do with you, Midorikawa?" He growled.
