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Erebonia had its share of problems right now, but Elliot Craig was just a military academy student and couldn't really do much about things like Garrelia Fortress having a huge hole in it. That would have to be left to the people in power, and despite the uncertainty that loomed over the country right now, he had more important things to do. Things like studying and trying not to worry too much.
...Except there was one particular thing he did have to worry about, a whole lot actually. He had spent all day yesterday and most of this afternoon pondering about it, and there was only one way to deal with this - direct confrontation. Thus, he had recruited Emma's help just in case someone with expertise on certain things was needed for a session of trying to get Rean to understand a few things about relationships, especially those concerning him.
The matter had somehow come up during the festival afterparty. Elliot had not seen or heard anything himself, but Crow had overheard an interesting conversation a little before Rean had invited Elliot to hang out with him and watch the dance. To be honest, Elliot had almost been tempted to ask Rean to actually dance, but that might have been a little awkward. Thinking about it now... Yes, that would have been more than complicated.
They stopped in front of Rean's room and Elliot knocked on the door. "Rean, you in?" There was a sound and then an acknowledgment, and Elliot opened the door and stepped in. "Are you busy? There's something I'd like to talk about."
"No, I was just sorting out my fishing equipment," Rean replied. All things considered, his priorities were just so very... Rean. "Oh, it's Emma too?" He then noticed. "Something I can help you two with?"
"Might end up being the other way around," Emma said with a bit of a smile. "At least I hope so."
Once properly inside the room, Elliot took a deep breath. "Alright then. Rean, could you sit down? Just in case this takes time." He earned a questioning look for that but innerly reminded himself that he was determined to go through with this, one way or the other. "It's a... aheh, serious topic, and I want you to be prepared."
The look on Rean's face was between confusion and curiosity, and he offered the chair by the desk to Emma, who took a seat, then sat on the bed himself. "Whatever it is, Elliot," he said in that tone of voice that was always so relaxing to hear as if Rean had a solution to everything. "I promise I'll listen, and whatever it takes..."
"Let's not go that far yet, okay?" Elliot told him. Rean motioned for him to sit on the bed as well, but he shook his head. "I'd rather stand. This is important." He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. "Okay. Rean? You know how music means everything to me, but there is this other thing..."
Rean blinked and looked at him. "Oh. What is it?"
Just as Elliot had feared. He gave Emma a slight nod. "Ahaha. I think we need to start from the beginning then if you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about despite, you know, everything."
"Well," Emma said. "I think this is what Elliot asked me here for, so let me do this part. As I am told, Crow overheard you talking to your sister and Princess Alfin on the night of the festival during the afterparty, and you had a bit of an epiphany due to what they said." Rean looked thoughtful for a second then nodded with a slightly embarrassed smile on his face. "You surely now realize certain things?"
"When it comes to Dorothee's stories, yes," Rean confirmed. "I think the princess was implying... ahem. That kind of relationships."
Just implying? Elliot wanted to facepalm, but it might have been too early for that. Luckily, this is why he had Emma. "Not just implying, mind you," she continued. "Seriously now, Rean, did it never occur to you that that stuff does happen in real life? Even after you literally helped me proofread some of Dorothee's stories back in the day? Some of which were rather... graphic, which I, ah, am really embarrassed to remember even now."
"I... didn't really think about it?" Rean defended himself. "But I suppose it does, just uh. The way Princess Alfin went on about Class VII was... I mean, really? Which one of us would do that?"
Emma covered her mouth at hearing that, quite obviously to keep herself from laughing, and Elliot didn't know if he should have done the same or hit his head on the wall.
"All right, let's put it like this," he started, slight frustration looming inside him. "You do know how Angelica is always hitting on all the girls?" Rean nodded at his words. "Although she's actually kind of dating Towa, which you probably haven't figured out, but that doesn't change the fact that she flirts with girls. Yet you have somehow... missed the part where..." Elliot's voice died, but he caught Emma looking at him with gentle encouragement in her eyes. "Where I... have been flirting with you for months now."
The look on Rean's face could only be described as flabbergasted shock. "Wait, what?"
Well, in a way Elliot had been expecting this, so it was better to just keep going. "You took me all over the festival, even to the Stella Garten. Which I hear you also visited with Machias before you took me in the afternoon since you already knew what was in there when we went." Rean opened his mouth as if to say something but didn't seem to know what he wanted to say, so Elliot just continued. "Machias told me that you realized that it's actually meant for couples, and then just casually suggested he brings Jusis in there. You do know that counts as a date, right?"
Somehow, Rean managed to gather himself a little. "I thought it would help their performance," he tried.
There was a sigh from Emma, and Elliot felt like covering his face with both hands but somehow kept his cool. "Next you're going to tell me you never actually picked up on the fact that they're sleeping together," he said. "And by that, I mean having sex, not cuddling up or anything. Sure, it's probably yet another competition considering those two, but they still are doing it."
"They're... what," Rean replied. It clearly took a few seconds to sink in, then he gulped. "But they... they can't really get along, no matter how much we try."
"It's called hate sex, Rean," Emma said with a knowing smile. "I recall Dorothee has several stories that have that kind of plot in them. Enemies to lovers? Or rivals to lovers, whatever she called it? Might not be the exact 'lovers' case with those two yet, but still, that's how it goes. Something about there being a thin line between love and hate?"
Elliot felt as if he had to clue Rean in a little bit more. "Say, remember that time when I was playing 'The Devil Went Down To Celdic' at like midnight? I woke everyone up, but Instructor Sara came to the conclusion that I was sleepwalking? Well, sleep-playing in this case I guess." Rean clearly remembered this happening, and he nodded again. "Why do you think that was?" Elliot asked.
"You... really love music, enough to play in your sleep?" Rean sounded like he didn't really believe in his own words, but he just had to somehow convince himself that what he had originally believed was still the truth.
"Maybe I do," Elliot said. "But in this case? Jusis and Machias were in Jusis' room having rather loud sex, and knocking on the wall a few times didn't seem to do the trick, so I had to go for drastic measures." At least putting it this bluntly seemed to get the message through, and Rean looked to the side for a bit before he dared to look at Elliot and Emma again. "So you really didn't realize," Elliot continued. "Yet you suggested Machias take Jusis on a romantic date. I hear that wasn't the first time you've pushed those two together either, and you thought... it was to get them to get along better."
There was a moment of silence before Rean took a deep breath to compose himself again. "I just... honestly thought that they would... Well. Ignoring the romantic aspects of the garden, I suppose?"
This was too much, but Elliot had taken this into calculation. "First you acknowledge that and then you ignore," he said in a quiet tone of voice. "Honestly? And then you took me there. Remember? We talked about the festival and..." He took a short pause. "And I told you I just hoped everyone would have fun when it came to our concert, no matter the outcome. As always, you were so very reassuring and I felt at ease with you, and I even took your hand and... you didn't seem to mind." He straightened his back and gave Rean a determined look. "I actually nearly kissed you there," he added in a voice as confident as he could muster. "But we weren't alone in there, so I was too much of a chicken to do it."
"But... we're friends, right?" Rean questioned. "Really good friends, even. So I wanted to spend time with you," he pleaded. "I did hang around everyone else on the first festival day, too, you know." Elliot let his shoulders slump, and Rean instantly raised his hands in front of him. "I mean, I'm not saying I didn't especially choose to go with you to a couple of places, because I did, but...!"
"Rean," Emma said in a calm voice. "You really are slow about this, aren't you? You take someone out on a date and just consider that as some kind of friends activity. But then it seems you truly think people who hang around a lot are just good friends, huh." She went quiet for a moment. "...Don't tell me you don't know about Laura and Fie either."
Rean blinked as his expression turned surprised again. "Laura and Fie...?"
At this point, Elliot finally covered his eyes with his hand for a moment. All right, he had seen this coming, right? Certain things clearly needed to be spelled out to this idiot, and some of them needed a bit of privacy. "Emma," he requested. "Could you go get us all some tea or something, because it looks like we're going to be here for a while. I need to... speak with him about a few things."
There was a nod as Emma stood up. "I'd be glad to. You just explain those things to him in the meantime, and I'll even check my room for something as well just in case."
"Could you ask Sharon if there's any green tea?" Rean casually asked as if what was happening wasn't a complete mess, and Elliot let out a sigh of despair. Emma just smiled, headed out of the room and closed the door behind her. With Emma gone, Rean fixed his attention to Elliot. "So, uh. What was that about Laura and Fie, anyway? They... are close friends nowadays, aren't they?"
An explanation was in order, and that was what Rean was going to get. "You know how back in Heimdallr you went out to Mater Park and there was that duel and everything?" Elliot started. "I wasn't there, but you told me all about it later. Rean? That was a literal confession right in front of your eyes. You were there and thought nothing of it?" Rean looked thoughtful, so Elliot waited for a moment before he continued. "Well it was, and they've been girlfriends ever since. Alright, fine, I do admit Laura can be about as dense as someone else here and I'm not all sure if she always gets that part, but..."
"I'm... not sure I understand."
Despite the remark, Elliot managed to keep his cool. "Yeah neither does Laura, but she's been going out with Fie for months now, and they are even..." He took a pause, letting Rean think for a bit. "I, uh. Well, it's none of my business, and I'm not exactly about to start snooping around what the girls do. Emma might know since her room is right next to Fie's, but anyway. I'm pretty sure there has been... a certain level of intimacy as well if you know what I mean."
From the look of Rean's face, he didn't, and Elliot didn't know if his own expression was still controlled or just plain despaired. Rean wasn't commenting anything, so maybe he had managed not to show how unbelievable this was starting to be, but then he had anticipated a certain level of completely oblivious response from Rean.
"They shower together sometimes," he then said slowly, putting some weight into his words.
Rean looked at him questioningly. "What's unusual about that, I mean we do too."
"Yes well, and that brings me to the next topic," Elliot instantly continued. "Rean, you know? That stuff in the shower? What did you think it was, some guy stuff and measuring the size of our...?" He could feel his cheeks warming up a little, but he had to get this out of the way right now before Emma returned, so this was not the time for hesitation.
"Don't guys do that?" Rean asked. "I bet Jusis and Machias have done it."
There was no doubt about that, but that was beside the point, and Elliot was not about to start thinking about what his classmates did in the shower. "I bet, and they've also done a lot more in there too, but I'm talking about us here. Rean," he took a deep breath. "Just last week, in the shower, after all that grueling concert practice. Did you somehow think I was measuring something when I touched you? Touched us both?"
"It... was a guy thing, right?" Rean asked, full well not believing his own words by now. "I'm pretty sure it's a guy thing. After all, when I was a lot younger, I once went to the baths and saw my dad with this... I don't know, it was an old friend of his apparently although I had never seen him before, and he only stayed for one evening and the only one he interacted with was dad. Though I now feel that I have seen him somewhere, so could he perhaps have visited later, or...? He had a bodyguard of some kind too so must have been a noble," he concluded.
What a curious story. "I see," Elliot said.
"Anyway my point is that dad definitely isn't into men, I mean he's married!" Rean continued. "So... what was that, then?" Elliot couldn't offer an answer to that besides the obvious, so he kept his mouth shut and waited for Rean to figure it out. "Besides Crow has..." Rean went quiet for a good few seconds. "Done the same, now that I think of it."
So he had, as far as Elliot knew. "Because if you haven't noticed, which you obviously haven't, he's also been flirting with you for a while now, and you've gone on dates a couple of times," he explained. "I don't really mind, since he's really open about it, and he knows about us too so... We're kind of both dating you here?"
There was a bit of silence again before Rean mumbled, "But I... I look at girls, so how could I be dating guys instead? That just doesn't make any sense! This isn't like Dorothee's story or anything, and... Oh Aidios, now I even remembered that back in the day, she was convinced that Crow switched to Class VII because he was after one of the boys. Wait, wait a minute now, Crow is always talking about girls and complaining that Angelica steals them from him and all that, there's no way he's into me." He covered his face with his hands. "Elliot, what's going on here?"
A light knock on the door at that point told them that Emma was back, and Elliot went to open the door for her in case her hands were full. She did have a tray though she could mostly hold it in one hand, and Elliot took it and carried it to the desk. "So, are we getting anywhere here?" Emma inquired after she took her earlier seat.
"Kind of?" Elliot replied. "We're up to the point where it would help if you explained Rean what a bisexual is." He closed his eyes for a moment before looking at Emma again. "We're also at the point where I need something stronger than tea, but what can you do."
Emma smiled just a little. "Then it's a good thing I saw this coming. Just take a cup of tea. The normal tea, seeing Sharon arranged some green tea for Rean out of nowhere, but this is Sharon we're talking about."
Whatever that meant, but Elliot picked up the cup with green tea in it and handed it to Rean then picked up one of the other teacups and took a sip from it. "Ugh? Emma, what is this...?" He twisted his face a little as there was a slight burning side taste in the drink as if the tea contained something extra.
"I added a bit of... aheh, my grandmother's special blend in it," Emma said innocently. "Just don't question and drink up. It'll hopefully keep you sane while we deal with... this." She studied Rean, who was now staring at his green tea but not actually drinking it. "All right then Rean," she started. "The concept of 'bisexual'. Maybe if I used an example, for better or worse since you might have completely missed this one too. Alisa is one. She has a crush on... On the other hand, I think it's better that I skip details here, but I know she's had a crush on a guy before." Rean looked as if he was half-believing what Emma was saying, and she waited for a bit before continuing. "But you know how she always says that Captain Claire is very pretty? She's interested in that way. And then there is her thing with Ferris..."
Rean was taken aback a little as he raised his head and looked at her. "Wait, I thought they are very good friends nowadays? ...Wait. What, are you saying that..."
"Elliot, please give me the teacup," Emma said with a slightly nervous smile. "I should have guessed. Anyway yes as a matter of fact they are..." She took a pause while Elliot handed over the other teacup. "Not actually dating as far as I know. Ferris seems to have a bit of a denial crush on Alisa, and Alisa either hasn't noticed or is pretending she hasn't while she tries to figure out her own feelings. They, however, are what is called 'friends with benefits' if you've ever heard that expression."
"I might have," Rean said slowly. "Wait, so people actually do that? It's not just a book thing?"
At hearing that, Elliot gulped down the remaining tea in one go despite the side taste. "Yes, they do," he then said. "Adults especially, because sometimes their relationships can be really complicated. Like Instructor Sara and..."
Rean's eyes went from Elliot to Emma then Elliot again. "Er..."
"Look now," Elliot quickly continued. "This is our instructor we're talking about, and I'm not going to start going into details with that one, all her habits and interest in older men considered. But if you've ever thought that she's good friends with someone, or rivals, or really hates someone's guts and only tolerates them for... something, it might be an adult thing. They do it for a number of reasons, after all. Sometimes it's just stress relief, and sometimes it's something else. It's not really our place to start figuring it out."
"I..." Rean drank a bit of his tea. "So in the end, it comes down to the fact that I'm bad at noticing things, and there are same-sex couples whom I thought are... You know. Just good friends who have known each other for a long time? But they were actually a little more than just that." He paused. "Wait, does this mean that Prince Olivert and his bodyguard are...?"
"None of our business really," Emma cut in. "Though Dorothee has told me Prince Olivert is known to be very much into things that are beautiful, no matter the gender, and you have heard him yourself to confirm that much. And seeing he apparently constantly flirts with his bodyguard, they could be... more than just old friends."
Rean's eyes widened. "Does this mean Jusis' brother and--"
"As Emma just said," Elliot interrupted him. "Those are adult relationships and none of our business really, because by that logic my sister and Instructor Sara could have had something, and I am definitely not going there, so if you'd just try to understand the concept of 'a person can be attracted to both genders for a number of reasons' and leave it at that?"
There was a very slow nod as Rean clearly processed all this information. "So basically you're saying I..." He then started but clearly didn't know how to continue.
"You don't seem to mind being 'good friends' with Elliot if that's what you're trying to say?" Emma offered a bit of help. "Or Crow for that matter though admittedly he's a whole lot different case to handle than Elliot. Yes, it just means you like both genders. You might be more attracted to one than the other, but that's pretty normal."
"I just," Rean said quietly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize..."
Elliot let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding. "That's fine, I did kind of guess that this was the case. Which is also why I made sure you were in for... whatever we were doing. But you see now? That thing I care about as much as I care about music? That's you, Rean. You're always so supportive and helpful and I never have to second-guess myself when I'm with you, so I can't help but feel this way."
"So we're... good friends, but...?" Rean slowly asked.
Had the message actually gone through, Elliot had to wonder. Emma stood up, gently patted him on the shoulder and whispered, "He'll get it... well, eventually, I'm sure," and he did his best to smile back at her. He wasn't as confident as she seemed to be, but on the other hand, maybe Rean indeed would get it. One day.
"Well, not just that, Rean," Elliot finally said. "Boyfriends. We're dating. I mean unless you don't want to go that far, then we can just be normal good friends and--"
Rean surprised him by getting up and taking the few necessary steps to reach him. He took Elliot's hands and smiled. "Didn't you just say you don't have to second-guess yourself when with me?" There was a slight blush on his face and he looked down. "I might be awfully slow at getting that stuff, but I want you to be the same Elliot that you have always been. If that makes us, uh... boyfriends? That's how it is, then."
There was a slight cough from Emma. "And I'll... take my exit here before this gets to Dorothee's novel levels of awkward," she said. "But I'm glad everything went well, and there's Rean doing his usual thing again too."
"Usual what?" Rean questioned, but Emma just smiled at him and left the room.
"I think she means the part where no matter the situation, you end up making everyone feel confident and comfortable?" Elliot guessed. "But that's just how you are." He held onto Rean's hands tightly for a moment before letting go and taking a step back. "Ahaha. Well, it does feel a little awkward standing here like this, though that might just be because I'm not used to it?"
There was that friendly smile Elliot loved to see on Rean's face, and any feeling of awkwardness was instantly gone. "It's fine then, isn't it?" Rean said.
"Well. That's one less worry though," Elliot confessed with a relaxed tone of voice. "Everything in general is still such a mess, but at least I don't have to worry about you not knowing about certain things anymore."
Rean nodded then rubbed his chin a bit, looking thoughtful. "I do feel a bit foolish though," he then admitted, looking at Elliot again. "People like Angelica and Towa always seemed to me as though it was just normal friendship, but thinking back, some stuff like that whole bikes rides thing could imply something else and... I'm just good at being ignorant, huh?"
"That you definitely are," Elliot said. "Despite the fact that you're actually really good at noticing when people are a pair, just... in the wrong way. And not when it's you."
There was a short silence then Rean gave him an embarrassed smile. "You don't have to remind me. Hey, maybe I'll get better at this now that I know," he said. "Or maybe I won't. But I have you, so... I can always ask, right?"
"Of course you can," Elliot replied with a nod. "You know what, we should go find Crow and tell him the good news of you, well, understanding some things. We can take him out to Kirsche's for a drink or something for a mini-date. Come on then!" He headed for the door and stopped to wait for Rean after opening it.
"I'm still not sure how I'm somehow dating both you and Crow, but all right," Rean agreed, and Elliot just smiled.
Maybe Rean had understood some basic concepts, but there were clearly a few more that might take a little while to explain to him, and even longer for him to actually understand what those things meant. At least Elliot knew one thing now - he didn't mind explaining as long as Rean wanted to listen.
End