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Ten-chan wasn't his real brother in the same sense that Konzen wasn't his real father. And Ken-nichan, who was Ten-chan's husband, also wasn't his brother-in-law because Ten-chan wasn't his brother to begin with. That’s what the bullies at school all say, jeering down at him while he fought to eat his lunch in peace. Your dad isn’t even your dad, he’s your guardian and you share the house rent with some loser author and his useless photographer husband. Your guardian’s just some luckless office worker who picked the short straw and had a wild monkey dumped onto his lap.
Goku thought that was all a load of poop. Ten-chan was there to look out for him and help him with his homework and keep his secrets from Konzen, and Ken-nichan taught him how to fish and ride a bike, and Konzen, Konzen was there. He complains a lot but he's always there, standing slightly off to the side with his arms folded complementing the frown on his face but everyone knows that the skinny blonde with the long hair would cold-bloodedly murder anyone who tried to hurt his charge.
He poked his head into Ten-chan’s room, seeing him head first in a book at his desk while Ken-nichan was lying on the bed with a switch held up above him. "Ten-chan, Ken-nichan, Konzen said to come out for dinner else he'll feed it to the pigeons." He pushed the door open further and stepped in, seeing both of them still concentrating hard on the items in their hands. “Ken-nichan~” He sang out, quickly swiping the switch out from his grip. The response was immediate and Goku laughed as Kenren caught him in a headlock, ruffling his hair. Both of them looked over at Ten-chan, who hadn’t seemed to notice the altercation, turning the page quietly as he furrowed his brow at an interesting passage. Ken-nichan pointed at him then to the side, silently laying out the course of action and Goku nodded as he stealthily tiptoed to the other side of the desk.
With a silent countdown from Ken-nichan, Goku snatched the book out from his hands as Kenren hugged him tight. “Time to eat, Ten-chan!” He said happily as Kenren bodily lifted his husband out from the chair.
“Wha- Goku? Kenren? That was a really good chapter can I-”
“No! You gotta eat!” They marched Ten-chan down the hall to where Konzen was waiting, already tapping his foot impatiently at the sight of them.
"I got Ten-chan and Ken-nichan, Konzen!" Goku gleefully informed his guardian as Ten-chan was unceremoniously dumped onto the chair. "Sorry if we took too long!"
Konzen surveyed the trio, both Kenren and his charge laughing to themselves as Tenpou tried to pull himself back to the present and out of the world of whatever book he was previously buried in. He sighed and put a pot of curry in front of them. “Attempt number five should be edible enough so just shut up and eat.” He groused as Kenren got up to grab the rice and some eating utensils for all of them.
Tenpou stared quietly at the contents, slowly raising one hand as if in school.
“No excuses. Just eat it.” Sensei Konzen said almost immediately, handing him the ladle. “Go on then, you take the first bite.” His housemate stared almost pleadingly at him, but found no refuge in the icy gray eyes. “It's either that or we order in and let’s not forget that our house is off the delivery lists of almost all the food companies by no one’s fault.” He said, somehow encompassing the entire table with those two words.
Goku snuck a look at Ten-chan who seemed to have quietly filled his bowl with as much rice and as little curry as humanly possible, dying the rice only a slightly darker shade of off white. Konzen let out an aggrieved sigh and snatched the ladle from him along with his bowl, filling it up to the brim. "Next." He stated, holding out his hand to Kenren who looked like he would rather die than continue sitting at the table.
Begrudgingly, the bowl was handed over and Konzen filled it up with what looked to be a single spoonful of rice amongst a sea of curried potatoes and unidentifiable meat. Goku pushed his bowl over before Konzen could say anything and was rewarded with an even ratio of rice to curry and he even got extra potatoes, those being his current favorite food, other than meat.
Konzen served himself last, scraping the last of the curry from the pot into his bowl and finally settled down.
No one wanted to take the first bite, other than Konzen who had started munching away as soon as he was seated. Goku could see Ken-nichan and Ten-chan looking at each other, somehow managing to have entire conversations with just eyebrows and small smiles till Ken-nichan threw his hands in the air and picked up his bowl to start eating. All eyes were on Ken-nichan then, and to everyone's relief, he gave a thumbs up behind his bowl where Konzen couldn't see it, and with that signal, the rest of them finally started eating.
Ken-nichan didn't lie, today’s curry was actually past edible and bothering on good. Goku made sure to inform Konzen of this fact, to which he was sure that he saw a small smile appear for a moment before his mouth went back to his usual scowl.
"What did you do at school today, Goku?" Ten-chan asked, genuine curiosity in his eyes as he reached out for the rice bowl.
The kid took a moment to think about it before responding. "I made a new friend! His name is Li Nataku and he just transferred in cuz his dad had to change jobs to our town. He said he used to live here when he was little but he’s been moving a lot. He said he had no time to make friends and probably has to leave again soon but I said I don't care and we're gonna go play baseball during recess tomorrow. Nataku said he never played so I'm gonna help him out!" That was relayed in an entire breath and he could see the three of them blinking in appreciation as they always did till Ten-chan smiled and nodded as he put more rice in Ken-nichan’s bowl.
“That’s great Goku. I’m glad you’re making new friends.” Ken-nichan gave Ten-chan a strange look then and mouthed something to him and they had another unspoken conversation between them.
Konzen also gave Ten-chan a long stare as well but directed his next comment to his charge. “I put your P.E clothes on your bed, remember to pack them for school tomorrow.” He got up to start clearing the plates then and Ken-nichan leaned forward next, a worried look on his normally carefree face.
“Hey kid, you wouldn’t happen to know if Nataku-chan’s father’s name is something like Touten or similar? Cuz we know someone called that and he’s a fucke-”
“Language!” Konzen yelled out from the kitchen and Ken-nichan shot an annoyed glare at him before amending his words.
“He’s not a nice person. Though when we knew him, he didn’t have a kid or anything like that.” Ten-chan suddenly grabbed hold of Ken-nichan’s arm and even without words Goku could see that Ten-chan didn’t want his husband to continue talking.
"I… think… so?" Goku said nervously, not wanting to meet Ken-nichan's eyes. "I saw him when he picked up Nataku, he's got dark hair and a beard and he kept on looking around for someone even after Nataku went up to him."
A strange silence then Ten-chan coughed. “Never mind that Goku, just keep being friends with Nataku-chan and don’t worry about what Kenren has to say, he’s being overprotective again. Go off and grab your homework, let’s work on it together.” Ten-chan continued, for a brief moment looking extremely worried.
Goku nodded as he went to grab his bag, trying hard to ignore the whispered argument that cropped up the moment he left the table.
He found his bag in the hallway where he left it and looked down at it, fidgeting with the zipper. Surely it wasn’t wrong that he made a new friend, was it? It's just that some of the other kids weren’t interested in being his friend and Nataku seemed like he was having a hard time on his first day so Goku stepped in. The bullies, which weren’t much bullies as they were kids who verbally picked on anyone different, gave up after Goku stood in front of the golden haired kid and threatened to kick anyone who gave his new best friend a hard time. So it wasn’t anyone’s fault at all then.Goku gripped his bag tighter as he heard some of the phrases coming out from the kitchen, mostly from Ken-nichan and Kennichan was so worried he was almost yelling.
“He has the fucking nerve to show up here again after what happened!” He hadn’t heard Ken-nichan this angry for a very long time. “Babe, he fucking hurt you after you wouldn’t work with him! I said that I’ll snap his neck in two like the cowardly chicken he is and I would do it the moment I see him again. There’s no way in hell we’re gonna let the kid hang around that fucker. Babe, just listen to me.”
“I’ll be fine.” Ten-chan said, sounding very weary. “It's been years. I want to put that behind me and maybe he’s changed since he had a kid of his own.”
A rustle and Goku could hear Ken-nichan let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, Konzen, what do you think? You two were friends back then, you know what happened to him."
There was silence for a moment and he had to strain his ears to hear his guardian’s next few words. "Goku needs a friend. And I'm sure between the two of you, you can sort it out."
That seemed like the end of it and Goku stamped his feet as he pretended to walk down the hall. “Hey Ten-chan.” He said, trying to cheer up the heavy atmosphere. “Today I have Maths and Science homework, do you think you can help with those? I know you like English and History more.” He furtively looked around, seeing Ken-nichan at the window, smoking a cigarette as if his life depended on it. Ten-chan was still sitting at the table, one arm folded across his body as he stared through the phone in his other hand. Konzen was at the sink, scrubbing hard at a clean plate.
“Ten-chan?” Goku asked again, waving a hand in front of his self adopted uncle. “You okay?”
That seemed to snap Tenpou out from his thoughts and he cast a look at his husband, still facing out as he smoked. “Hmn? Yes, I am. Don’t worry Goku. Let’s start on those worksheets.”
When Goku went to bed later that night, he looked up at the ceiling, thinking hard about how worried Ten-chan looked earlier. Of course he tried to hide it but somehow Goku could tell. Was it really his fault? That he made friends with Nataku and now Ken-nichan was mad at Ten-chan for some reason? He didn't want Ken-nichan to be mad at Ten-chan, so if it meant that he stayed away from Nataku then maybe things would get better? But something about the way Konzen said those words calmed him down slightly. There has to be a way for him to stay friends with Nataku and still keep his adopted family happy. With that thought, he drifted off to troubled sleep.
****
Tenpou went into their room to see his husband already under the covers, turned on his side as he scrolled through his phone.
A million things flew through his mind but he stilled himself before he could say them. Tenpou looked around the room, trying to find something neutral to say. His eyes landed on a manilla envelope peeking out from Kenren's satchel and moved to pick it up.
"May I see them?" He asked, a safe enough question. He loved looking through his husband's work and Kenren often delighted in showing off the newly developed photos before he sent them off to his various clients.
A noncommittal grunt was all he got and he opened the envelope to pull out the pictures within. From what he could see, jt seemed Kenren's most recent gig was for an engagement photoshoot.
Two women, one with long brown hair kept in a braid and one with mousy shoulder length waves. He smiled as he looked through them posing with their arms around each other, with white veils in jaunty positions, with tears of joy as the one with the brown braid and bright yellow dress knelt down in front of her bespectacled fiancee, holding aloft a ring box and a hopeful look.
Tenpou picked up the last photo, noticing that it wasn't of the two women, but a selfie of a familiar man in a brown tweed suit with patches on the elbows holding onto another man in his best cheap suit. Both of them beaming up at the camera as the people huddled behind them cheered wildly. He closed his eyes at the memory, they didn't get a photographer at their wedding, Kenren was the best and cheapest one they knew and in spite of all the favours he pulled in, no one stepped up to photograph their wedding so they made due with grainy cellphone cameras and even one or two disposables that were passed around the guests. The photo studio Kenren used would develop or print with a rather high minimum order so he must have just thrown in that selfie just to make up the numbers.
Tenpou put their photograph down on the table and carefully put the rest back in the envelope. Kenren had turned to face him and was watching him under his lashes. "I'm sure they would be absolutely thrilled to see the photos." Tenpou pulled off his tee shirt and was about to toss it to the floor when he caught the knowing look from his husband and then haphazardly folded it before placing it on the chair. "Do you want to fuck tonight or are you still mad at me?" Tenpou asked as he fished around for his sleepwear half naked.
This was a loaded question and both of them knew it.
He heard a grunt and suddenly arms were around him as he was pulled into a hug from behind. Kenren rested his head on his shoulder before speaking. "I'm only worried."
Tenpou held onto his arm as he leaned back against him. "I can take care of myself. You know that as well."
A quick squeeze. "Doesn't mean that I don't get to be worried about you."
"But denying Goku a friend isn't the way to go about doing things."
Kenren still held him. "The kid can have other friends. Friends who aren't related to rapist perverts."
Tenpou let out a soft sigh. "What makes you think the other parents aren't predators either? And what about this friend? Nataku? Barring anything his father did, the kid just moved to a new place and he's probably scared and nervous with all the changes and if not for Goku's sake then for Nataku?" He felt a kiss on his neck and shivered. "Kenren…"
His husband was quiet for a while and Tenpou felt his hands creep lower to unbuckle his belt. "I won't hurt you. You know that." His breath was hot against his ear and Tenpou nodded, turning to catch his mouth in his.
"You could never hurt me." He said as they broke off. "I won't disappoint you."
Kenren woke up to find his husband already awake, facing away from him as he smoked a cigarette. "Hey." He moved in to snake his arms around his waist as he hugged him from behind. "How are we feeling today?"
A sigh. "I don't deserve you." Tenpou sighed and tapped his cigarette out on the ashtray next to the bed. He got up to look for his clothes and dressed himself, all the while keeping silent. "I'll be out today."
Kenren sighed quietly then just nodded, trying to keep things casual. "Going to see Yaone? I thought she wasn't back from her business trip till next week?"
His husband paused for a moment, as if weighing something in his mind. "She's still out. I'm going to meet an old acquaintance and clear something up. I'll be back for dinner." He said, packing his backpack for the day. "Do you need me to pick up anything? I know you have the delivery to do today." He cocked his head to the envelope of photos on the table.
Kenren shook his head, trying hard to keep things as normal as he could. "Just some more shampoo and a new pack of toothbrushes." He wanted nothing more than to hold his husband again, hold him and tell him not to blame himself for what happened the last night but if Tenpou wanted to keep things casual and move on, he'll follow his lead. "I'll make breakfast." He got up as well and dressed himself before heading out to the kitchen.
To his surprise, he found their housemate sitting at the dining table, looking down at some papers. Konzen was a workaholic, he used to be worse before he adopted the kid, Tenpou told him that he had been called multiple times to bring back his friend from the office after he collapsed from sheer exhaustion. The blond didn't seem to notice him as he stared down at the typed words in front of him.
Kenren looked for a while before deciding to just ignore this situation and focus on making some food for his husband. Knowing Konzen, there'll be hell to pay if he interrupts him while he's deep in thought about whatever happenings he was in. Back to making breakfast, something simple should be enough, Tenpou isn't a picky eater which was great since Kenren didn't have many dishes in his arsenal. Something with eggs would be good, no mushrooms as normal, and maybe cheese or onions perhaps?
As he busied himself around the kitchen, Kenren snuck a peek at the papers his housemate was so engrossed in. Looks like a report card of some sort, and what looked like notes on the kid. Speaking of the kid, he should be in school by now, Kenren and Tenpou often woke up in the vicinity of lunch rather than breakfast due to the nature of their jobs. Of course if Kenren had a gig that required early morning light then there was no dodging it but last he checked there was no time schedule for being an author other than the occasional book signing here and there. His husband mostly wrote nonfiction books that sold well in its very niche corner of the literary world but was still relatively unknown by the masses.
He had no idea what Konzen actually did for a living other than that it was a full time office job from 9am-6pm, Mondays through Fridays aka him being at home at 11am on a Tuesday was very much not normal.
He was halfway through cooking the eggs for brunch when Konzen suddenly spoke. "Are you going with him?"
Kenren turned back to see gray eyes staring at him, something akin to worry within. "He says he's going out to meet an old friend. I got work to do today."
A sigh. "Tenpou always did like them hot and slightly stupid but not this stupid. Keep an eye on him. He's probably going to do something reckless like he always does."
"So you're saying I'm hot?" Kenren preened for a while, a smirk on his face. "I have the delivery though."
"Call them, you have a personal emergency and will give them their photos tomorrow." Konzen narrowed his eyes then held out his hand. "Or give me the address, I'll drop them off for you."
"They're two hours away, and you don't have a car." Kenren started to feel a strange sense of unease. It was completely out of character for their sour housemate to offer things like this, it must mean he was serious about Tenpou doing something dangerous. Kenren had only known his husband for three or so years before tying the knot but Konzen had been his friend since they were in school together so he'd obviously know him better.
“I’ll figure something out. Go with him later, if you’re not then I will.”
He just nodded, then went back to staring at the eggs, pushing them around the pan as they cooked. A lot of people were genuinely surprised and even heartbroken when they announced their marriage. Why? Kenren was in the prime of his life, hooking up with anyone and everyone who caught his newly freed eye till he was assigned to take photos for an upcoming book launch. He was expecting a crotchety old man banging words out on a typewriter but he found a lithe prettyboy fidgeting with his laptop bag. One thing led to another and suddenly he moved in with the prettiest author he had ever seen and his sourpuss blond housemate.
Said prettyboy decided to come down for breakfast then, dressed in his dorky attire of a long jacket and an orange button down that Kenren was sure used to belong to him. Tenpou seated himself at the dining table and looked up at his husband with that smile that never fails to steal his heart.
“Where are you going today if not to see Yaone? New merch drop?” Kenren slid the eggs onto a plate and busied himself with the coffee, stirring in the amount of sugar and milk his husband liked. “Though aren’t they usually later in the year?” He looked over at the shared calendar where there were multiple notes reminding the reader to pre-order the latest anime merchandise from the usual websites or to go in person for the physical lottery.
Tenpou gave him a strange half shrug. “I’ll be in the city area, checking on something. Don’t worry about me. I’ll ask you along but I know you have the delivery today.” Kenren caught the knowing look Konzen gave him, buried as usual under his dour face. That only strengthened his resolve and he sat himself down next to him, stealing a bite as he did so.
“Don’t worry about the delivery, they just texted and said something came up so they couldn’t meet today. I’ll drive you to your errands.”
Slight panic that was quickly covered up by him taking another bite of the rapidly disappearing eggs. “I’m fine, Kenren. Don’t you want to sleep in? It's such a nice day for it.”
“What kind of husband would I be if I was free and didn’t drive my darling around town?” Kenren smirked, catching the embarrassed blush before it faded away.
Konzen let out a loud groan before waving his hand in front of his best friend’s face. “I’ve known you forever and I know when you’re going to do something stupidly reckless. Take the idiot musclehead with you as backup. That’s my advice.”
Tenpou stopped as he realised he was caught between the two. He stole a quick look at his husband and then nodded. “Fine. We’ll leave in twenty minutes.”
****
Goku slipped a note to the boy next to him then affectedly drummed his fingers on the table, pretending everything was alright. No matter what Ken-nichan said or how Ten-chan or his guardian reacted, he would still try and make friends with the new kid in school.‘
'Wanna hang out during recess?’
Nataku looked down at the handwritten words, then thought of his mobile phone buried deep in his bag. Why didn’t he just ask for his number so they could text? He observed the brown haired kid next to him, seeing their school uniform carefully patched and repaired, sensible shoes that would last at least as long as his feet could fit in them, a random assortment of stationery strewn about the table, some were expensive while he was sure others were picked up from a popular furniture shop.
His father told him not to associate with that filthy child. Nataku had to stop and think for a moment to figure out who he was referring to. Father called a lot of people filthy or freaks or scum. At this point he didn’t know who wasn’t one. The list of people he was allowed to interact with seemed to start and end with Father. He didn’t even know where Mother was, she was always around in the background, cooking, cleaning, washing various things, till one day she wasn’t. And when he asked Father about her he was reminded very thoroughly to just shut up and do as he was told.
He shot a look at the expectant face next to him and was suddenly filled with a strange sense of resolve. He scribbled his phone number on the paper and flicked it back before the teacher noticed. It's simple, Father couldn’t have bought out the teachers here so quickly so he’ll just talk to Goku at school and delete any texts he received from him right after reading. Father’s been getting spotty with the random checks of his phone so he should be able to conceal this for some time. Nataku started to smile then, feeling some sort of giddy happiness he hadn’t felt for a long time.
The brown haired kid next to him read the note then stared at it for a while before flashing him a quick thumbs up. Goku put the note in his pencil box and then attempted to focus on the droning coming from the adult at the front of the room.
But no matter what he did, all he could think of was how to easily tell his new friend that he didn’t own a mobile phone.
****
“So where are we going?” Kenren asked as he started up the car. “And what are you going to do once you get there?” He reached over and took Tenpou’s hand in his, bringing it up for a kiss. “Don’t get all silent on me now babe. Remember we’re a team.”
Slightly misty green eyes stared back at him and the hand he was holding reached out to touch his face. “We’re going to see Li.”
“Address? He must have moved from where he was last a-”
In response Tenpou put his phone on the attached holder, already open with a wayfinding application set to an address. “Remember when Konzen was sick and couldn’t go to one of Goku’s teacher parent meetings?”
Kenren snorted. “Yeah, she thought you were the kid’s other parent and freaked out when I came to pick both of you up and kissed you.”
“Well, she felt really bad about that and promised a favor which I’ve just called in.” Tenpou kept his hand on his husband’s face, stroking his cheek slowly. “Either way, unless he changed his working style dramatically, he’d be working from home as much as possible.”
Kenren held onto the hand on his face. “And what are you going to do once you’re there? I assume you won’t let me kill him and you’re way too pretty to go to jail.”
A scoff. “You know I’d be running that prison before the end of the week.” He smiled then and settled back into the chair. “I just want to gather information. See if he’s changed and if not then… I’ll think of something.”
“Just remember, no killing and minimum interaction with lawyers!” Kenren grinned as they pulled out of the driveway and off to the main city, his husband’s hand atop his on the gear shift.
Li Touten’s home was in the center of the city, a rich neighborhood with many people staring disdainfully at Kenren’s beat up car as they slowed to a cruise looking for the correct building. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a house with its own land and garden but an even more expensive looking condominium. They had to register as guests at the front gate but soon were through and waiting for the lift.
Kenren reached out to hold his husband’s hand while in the lift. “I could kill for a smoke.” He said, trying to lighten the mood. Tenpou just squeezed back, tiptoeing for a kiss right as the doors opened.
****
Nataku never had so much fun. Granted he usually didn’t have anyone to spend recess and P.E with but having someone to talk to about anything and everything was so freeing in a way he never imagined. Luckily he had classes with Goku up till school ended and he was so preoccupied talking about the latest mecha anime with his new friend that he forgot he wasn’t supposed to be seen with him at all.
They were walking out of the main entrance and Nataku was about to wave his new bestie off when his arm was suddenly gripped and there was a familiar sour smelling whisper in his ear. “What did I tell you about hanging around with such filth?” He froze up, not daring to look up at his father as he stared in the direction of his friend. “Hmnm?” The grip on his arm lessened and Nataku watched as Goku ran up to a long haired man dressed in an unseasonable long jacket and scarf. They hugged and another dark haired man joined in, ruffling his hair with a grin. “He’s still here…”
Nataku pulled his arm away and rubbed it, feeling suddenly scared for some reason. He knew the look in his father’s eyes, it meant that he had a target, and those targets never seemed to be around after a few weeks and he was afraid to ask exactly what happened to them.
But this time was different. This person was related to his new and only friend, he can't let Father get to them like he always did, even if he didn't know what exactly "get" was.
It was too late, Father had grabbed his arm again and was pulling him along to the trio, his usual oily smile on his face.
"Hey Nataku!" Goku greeted him cheerfully. "And you must be Nataku's dad! Hi! This is Ten-chan and that's Ken-nichan!"
Faced with nothing else, Nataku just nodded stiffly, bowing to the two adults. Ten-chan was definitely the one Father would go after, he ticked all his preferences of course, dark hair, lithe, and a beautiful face. Normally Father preyed on those by themselves, perhaps his target being attached to someone else would stop him? Nataku looked at Father again, his heart breaking as he found him still steadfastly staring at Ten-chan.
Ken-nichan was the next to speak, a carefully controlled almost too easy going tone. "Hi Nat-chan, and Mr Li. I’ve heard about you from my husband here.” He was holding Ten-chan’s hand tight, almost too tight as he stood slightly further in front, almost as if he was ready to get into a fight.
Ten-chan nodded and took a step forward as well, but didn’t let go of his husband’s hand. “It's been a while, Touten.” Up close he was exactly the type that Father liked, pretty but with a streak of defiance in him. Nataku once heard Father said it was more fun to break them of their spirit. He tried hard to forget that ever since. “We’re here to take Goku home.”
The air was still fraught with so much tension but Nataku knew Father had that oily leer on his face as usual. "Why Ten-kun, I missed you-"
"Don't call him that, you slimy fuck." Out on the offensive was the husband. Nataku looked at him, finding a rather handsome man dressed in comfortable jeans and a tight fitting tee under a half open cotton shirt. What scarily looked like yakuza tattoos peeked out from under the sleeve cuffs and at the edge of the collar. "Touch him again and I'll personally crush your tiny peen with my boot."
A reassuring tap on his shoulder and Ten-chan moved to subtly pull his fiery husband behind him. "As you might have picked up, I'm married now to this fetching specimen. I've heard you're still in the same line of work, I'm sure we will run across each other some time soon enough." A fake smile that transitioned to one that reached his eyes with the next sentence. "Goku speaks highly of Nataku-kun here. I hope they can still be good friends."
Nataku could hardly believe those words, surely Father would allow it now, surely he would let him hang out with his only friend now that there was an easier way to get to his target. Something in him felt off though, felt wrong that he was exploiting his friend's guardian in this way but Nataku tried to bury the feeling, rationalising it away as him being overly worried.
It seemed like his hoping paid off because Father took a measured look at Goku, who was bouncing up and down happily as he held onto Kenren's hand, then to Ten-chan who was still smiling that strange half smile and then a quick look to his own child who kept his eyes on the ground the entire time. "They do seem to be good friends, why not come over so they can hang out more or do homework? My home is always open."
****
"I don't like this." Kenren said quietly as they drove back home, Goku in the back preoccupied with the latest toy craze sweeping his school. "Its too soon to invite people over and I'm sure he has something fucked up planned."
Tenpou shrugged. "He seems harmless enough now. And we did go to his home but no one was around." He stared out the window, thinking hard about something.
Kenren just exhaled, "Weird isn't it? You'd think whatever broad he knocked up would be at home. He doesn't seem the kind to let women vote or have a life after all."
"Maybe she's at work or out on an errand. Also, what if he's changed? People do that, as you’re such a fine shining example." Tenpou leaned over and kissed his cheek. “And I’m sure shooting on film is a lot better from out of prison than inside.”
A quick look at Goku in the backseat who was still fiddling with the toy, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. "Not with the way he was eyefu- eye… the way he was leering at you earlier."
Tenpou covered the hand on the gear shift with his. "He's not the only one. I'm used to it, you know I can take care of myself."
"And I can help!" A voice suddenly piped up from behind. "Don't worry Ken-nichan, I won't let anything happen to Ten-chan either!"
The adults chuckled at that, feeling the mood lighten. "I'm sure you'll be tremendously instrumental in helping me escape whatever nefarious plot Kenren thinks is hatching but you need to promise us that you don't do anything other than call the police if anything happens okay?" Tenpou held his gaze in the mirror, "Konzen would be heartbroken if you got hurt."
“But I gotta help Ten-chan too!” Goku abandoned the toy and moved up to hug the back of the car seat. “Ken-nichan would be even more sad if anything happened to you. And not just Ken-nichan, Konzen and I would also be really sad!”
Kenren reached out with his other hand to ruffle Goku’s hair. “Just let the adults deal with it, okay kid? I appreciate the help but Ten-chan’s my problem to deal with, you just gotta deal with your own problems like homework and staying friends with Nataku-chan.”
“Darling?” A syrupy sweet voice. “What did you call me?” Goku threw his arms around as much of the two seats as he could, laughing loudly as the car swerved on the mostly deserted road from the multiple smacks Ten-chan was bestowing on poor Ken-nichan.
****
Goku did his homework once they were back, with Tenpou helping him out as usual. Kenren had just finished cooking when the door opened and Konzen came back, looking more pissed than usual.
“There was a huge pile up on the way back, I swear I would have been back earlier if I got off the bus and started walking.” He said with a shake of his head as he undid his ponytail to retie his hair in a messy bun. “What did you cook?” Konzen wasted no time as he sat at Kenren’s spot, looking disdainfully at the offerings.
“Just pasta.” Kenren said with a roll of his eyes, he wanted to say more but Konzen did cover for him today so he would ease off on the insults. Pasta was another item on his limited menu but it was more tasty than his stews and way more edible than whatever his husband concocted on the stove so he was the de facto cook in the household.
Konzen picked up a spoon and poked at the sauce, “Goku needs more vegetables in his diet and less cheese and meat. Just because you two eat like crap doesn’t mean you need to subject a growing kid to your meals.”
Tenpou just sighed and got up to join his husband at the stove. “Don't worry, Konzen. I’ll make some veggie stir fry to go along with it, just thank Kenren for cooking the pasta.” He tried to grab the spatula from him but Kenren firmly resisted.
“Babe. No. The last time you cooked we all ended up in the hospital.”
“Yeah, Ten-chan! Let Ken-nichan cook! He’s the best chef ever!” Goku tried to soften the blow but it was almost too late.
Konzen had stood up at that point, his face turning green as he recalled the last Ten-chan Cooking Incident. “I’m sure a salad would be enough, Kenren can just cut them up and we’ll use the bottled dressing.”
Tenpou turned to his childhood friend, folding his arms. “Nope, you wanted something hearty and nutritious so you’re getting it!”
Behind them, Kenren had discreetly grabed the salad ingredients out from the fridge and was quietly chopping them up when the doorbell went off.
“Babe, could you get the door?” Kenren said, trying to make it as casual as he could and with an aggrieved sigh, Tenpou went down to their front door.
“Quick! Cut up the salad before he comes back, Ken-nichan!”
“I know Goku! I’m cutting it as fast as I can!”
They all stopped suddenly as Tenpou came back, an unexpected guest in tow.
“Nataku?!”
****
The kid was still in his school uniform, though it was torn and he seemed to be bleeding from a cut on his cheek. Konzen immediately went to get the first aid kit. Kenren had gone over to the front window, checking for anyone else showing up, all thoughts of salad and stir fry gone. Tenpou and Goku sat with Nataku, watching him wolf down the pasta.
“What happened to you?” Kenren said as he came back, settling down on a stool as he looked him over. “Did you get into a fight?” He asked with the air of someone experienced with the matter.
“And how did you find us?” Tenpou next, dabbing at some cuts with the antiseptic. The kid didn’t flinch at all, even as he went over some particularly nasty looking scrapes.
Nataku ate the pasta with his other arm as he shrugged. He was balancing a phone on his lap, making sure that it didn’t leave his grasp.
“How did you get so hurt?” That was Goku, almost in tears as he stared at his friend. “I’ll go beat them up!” He shouted, clenching his fists. “Nataku, you gotta tell us!”
Konzen didn’t say anything but moved closer from where he was watching from the wall. “That's not your phone.” He stated as he held out his hand. "What happened?"
Everyone just seemed to silently watch Nataku as he finished eating. He wiped his mouth off and picked up the phone, then looked around the room as if making up his mind. “Father snuck a tracking device on your car.” He said to Kenren, looking down at the phone as he opened up an app and then passed the phone to Konzen. “I stole his phone and walked here after he passed out as usual.”
“Why?” Konzen looked down at the blinking dot on the map, as well as several other dots obscured in further places.
Nataku bit his lip, then looked ashamedly at Goku before dropping his gaze again. “Father probably wants to kidnap and hurt Ten-chan like he does to the others. He does it a few times in each city then we move. I don’t know why he does it. He likes to hurt people like Mother and if she’s not there then he hits me. When he brings someone home he doesn’t hurt us so… so Mother and I just let him do it. But I don’t want him to hurt Goku’s friend because if he hurts him then Goku won’t be friends with me anymore and Mother’s gone somewhere so he’s always taking it out on me now but… but… but I can’t let him do it this time.”
Konzen just nodded quietly, his frown deepening as he scrolled through the other applications. “Tenpou, Kenren, I think the kid’s telling the truth. There’s pictures.” Only the slight trembling of his voice gave anything away. “I’ll call the cops.”
****
Time seemed to move so fast after that, the police came and took statements as well as the phone away. Nataku bunked in with Goku for that night and for the subsequent nights after. All of them watched the news every day, detailing the capture and arrest of the notorious rapist and serial killer that had been evading justice for the past few years. The police found Nataku’s mother dead in the freezer, along with remnants of a few other victims, which was more than enough evidence to permanently put Li Touten away.
The arrest of his father had scared off the bullies from school, and he and Goku were able to spend time talking or playing games as children were wont to do. Soon enough, someone came and asked to join in their baseball practice during recess, and another came during art class, and their circle of friends slowly grew. Goku did notice that he still always seemed tense, even during rest periods but nothing he did seemed to put him at ease.
****
Two days later, Konzen was at the dining table with his work computer when he saw a mass of brown hair and he sighed. “Goku, I told you to cut down on the midnight snacks.”
His charge sided up to him, fidgeting as he tried to work up the courage to say something.
“Spit it out.”
“What’s gonna happen to Nataku?” There were tears in his eyes and he tried to brush them away. “He doesn’t have a mom anymore, I mean I never had one, I only had you. And his dad’s locked up in prison like Ken-nichan was for a bit before but I don’t think he’s gonna come out because someone else told the truth and they let him go and I don’t want him to come out if he’s gonna hurt Ten-chan and other people.” A deep breath then. “Can Nataku stay with us? Forever?”
Konzen just froze for a moment, staring at the crying mess. “I don’t know, Goku. He would most likely be staying with whoever is his closest relative but I don’t know when the authorities would get off their butts and sort it out.”
“But I want Nataku to stay with us! He’s always really sad and I know he’s a bit jealous of how you and Ken-nichan and Ten-chan look after me and I’ve always wanted a brother even if he’s not really my brother but he’s my best friend so it's the same thing, isn’t it?”
Konzen reached out and gently stroked his hair. “I don’t know Goku. We need to see. But he can always stay with us till a decision has been made.”
“You can do something, can’t you, Konzen? Ken-nichan says you work in the gov-ern-ment and they can do stuff like this, right?”
He gently hugged him, spotting a watching observer from the door. “I’ll try my best, but no promises.”
****
The household was eating dinner a month after that night. Kenren had somehow managed to roast a chicken in their tiny microwave oven and Tenpou had been paid royalties from a movie adaptation of his book so they were celebrating with wine and ice cream after.
The bell went off just as they finished up the ice cream and Konzen went to get it with a sigh. “You sure took your time!” They heard him yelling as two men carried a large box into the house.
“What’s happening?” Goku asked as he followed the men into the room he and Nataku shared.
“Oh, it finally got here.” Ten-chan said with a grin as he tailed them, holding a wineglass in his other hand.
Nataku pulled at his jacket, “What’s going on?” Tenpou just shrugged good naturedly, his grin growing wider.
Kenren came up next, “Do you guys need help?” He asked the two men who were unpacking lengths of wood out from the box, leaning back against the wall as they replied that they had it under control.
“Konzen! What’s happening?” Goku got hold of his guardian as he brought up the rear, holding a tray with two glasses of cold water.
The blonde just tsked. “Can’t have you on a proper bed and your brother on the spare futon after all.” He set the tray down on a table in the room. “Both of you clear up the room so they have space for the bunk bed!”
Both the kids stared at each other, almost unable to believe their ears. “Brother?” Goku whispered and Konzen came over to them, a rare smile on his face.
“I submitted the papers to adopt you but the state sure takes its own sweet time. I had to call in some favors to get them processed. So, Nataku, if you agree to have me as your guardian and this monkey as your brother, I’ll sign off on them by tonight. That also does mean you’ll be at the mercy of whatever Kenren cooks but you have Tenpou to help you with your homework and bore you to death with his books, so think carefully.”
Nataku took a quick look around again, and nodded, slowly at first then faster and faster till he and Goku were laughing with pure joy. They caught their breath and he held out his hand in a fist bump, replying to Goku's question earlier. “Yes, I’ll totally be your brother!”