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The noise of the busy market assaulted Sousuke’s ears as he grabbed a shopping cart, only to have it ripped from him by small hands. He sighed wearily.
What had he gotten himself into?
He glanced over to the other boy with him, whose green eyes were directed at the unruly pair of twins, finger wagging as he reprimanded them for their rudeness. The sad looks on their faces had Sousuke cringing and he turned away.
He was terrible with children.
Makoto sighed and turned to Sousuke, who had pointedly looked away from them as the children were scolded.
“Thank you for coming with me, Yamazaki-kun. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t able to help me with the twins. They can be… quite a handful.”
Sousuke glanced over to the twins, Ran and Ren if he recalled their names correctly, arguing over who could push the basket, then back to Makoto. A sharp blush of embarrassment was clearly evident on his handsome face over his sibling’s antics.
Sousuke shrugged and rubbed the back of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed himself, though for what reason was unclear even to him. Proximity pain maybe.
“It’s no trouble, I guess. I wasn’t really doing anything, anyways.”
And it was true. Sousuke had been wandering the town, kind of lost, mostly bored out of his mind. Rin had gone home, something about visiting his family and his mom nagging him. Sousuke knew though that he was missing them, too, so he didn’t see the big deal, but he figured Rin was being his usual weird self and left it alone.
He had spotted Makoto by a park running around chasing two small children, seemingly trying to wrangle them as they fled from his clutches. Out of the goodness of his heart (and maybe to kill the nagging boredom of the day) he jogged over and asked if he needed a hand. Makoto had seemed surprised to see him and slightly apprehensive. After all, they didn’t really know each other all that well, but glancing back to the two kids hiding behind a tree, Makoto gave in and together they caught both with surprising ease.
Makoto had apparently been going to the store to pick up a few things for his mother and his siblings had begged him to come along. It was obvious to Sousuke that they had poor Makoto wrapped around their fingers.
“Well, thank you all the same. Now I’m sure our shopping trip will go much faster than usual.”
The smile Makoto bestowed upon Sousuke was blinding and caused his heart to pound in rapid-fire spurts, making him confused and slightly worried. Definitely more than he wanted to deal with in that moment.
Makoto took the shopping cart from Ran and Ren, effectively ending the argument, and proceeded to enter the store. The two children followed like little ducks, pulling on the back of his shirt and looking around at all the merchandise, their incessant talking so fast that Sousuke could barely understand what they were saying. It was hard to believe that such noise could be created, especially from such small creatures. And yet, he fought the smile that he could feel creeping up from the image of the two clinging to Makoto like their mother and followed them in. Sousuke couldn’t help but wonder if Makoto was like this too when he was little.
Makoto weaved through the aisles of the store picking up the necessities on the list his parents had given him. The trip itself wasn’t as horrible as he initially thought it would be. Ren and Ran seemed more subdued while in the store, possibly by the towering stranger that seemed to be joining them for their shopping trip. Makoto was grateful for the reprieve. He didn’t know if he’d be able to deal with another shouting tantrum like last time.
Sousuke watched as Makoto looked at each item on the list, taking in his profile. He really was a good looking guy. The soft curve of his nose, pink lips, and long eyelashes caused Sousuke’s stomach to flutter a bit. His toned arms and body filled his shirt nicely, and his butt… He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it. Besides, it’s not like Makoto noticed, anyways. A little ogling never hurt anyone.
A sudden voice broke through the group’s shopping trip as large, towering man greeted and walked up to them. His hand was up, as if waving, and he had a large grin on his face. The twins immediately hid behind Makoto, the man’s large stature and booming voice enough to scare them. Makoto himself found his heart beating in adrenaline as the large man approached them. Makoto glanced at Sousuke, whose face held an unadulterated surprise.
“Ah… Uncle? What are you doing here? This is a bit far from your usual haunt.”
Uncle? Ah. Makoto relaxed a bit. So, Sousuke knew this man.
“Sou! You know how your auntie is, very particular about certain brands. This store carries the wine she likes. Son, how are you? Shoulder treating you alright?”
The man clapped a hand onto Sousuke’s left shoulder, the sound making Makoto wince slightly. He glanced at Sousuke again as the other boy's face remained stoic under the assault, clearly used to the roughness.
“Doing fine, I guess. Just doing a bit of shopping. Ah, Uncle, this is Makoto Tachibana. This loud guy is my uncle, Hotaka.”
Makoto smiled and bowed slightly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Yamazaki-san.”
The man, Hotaka, laughed and bowed just the same.
“Ahhh, Sou, your partner is very formal. Please, just call me Hotaka.”
The word “partner” caused both boys to perk up. Sousuke could feel the blush creeping up the back of his neck. Partner? Is… that what they looked like?
“Partner? Uncle, I think you’re mistaken.”
Hotaka smiled and looked between the two boys knowingly. He let out a bellowing laugh, causing some of the other shoppers to glance over to the group in the aisle before continuing on their way. Sousuke looked mildly disturbed as his uncle wiped a small tear before calming down and giving a wink.
“Sou, my boy. You had the look.” At the blank look Sousuke gave him, his uncle huffed, “You know, the look. The Yamazaki look. All the men in our family use it when they’re around the people they adore the most. It’s no big deal, you know. Times are changing! I, for one, embrace change! And are these two children yours, as well?”
Sousuke and Makoto were beet red as they glanced at each other, Sousuke embarrassed moreso at being caught staring than the accusation that they were dating, before looking back at Hotaka as he tried to get a better look at the twins hiding behind Makoto.
“Heh, shy aren’t they? A bit older looking for you guys, but they seem to be close.”
Sousuke stuttered, barely able to form words as he tried to refute what his uncle was saying. He and Makoto weren't together! And the twins were definitely not their kids.
“Uncle, now I know you’re just messing with me. We’re like 17, how could these kids possibly be either of ours. Look at them!”
His uncle waved him off as he tried to deny the accusations.
“If you knew what I got up to at that age, you wouldn’t be surprised either.”
He let out another boisterous laugh.
“Anyways, how could you get a boyfriend without telling me or Auntie, boy? Ah, embarrassed are we? You’ll have to tell me how you guys met next time I see you. Well then, I won’t bother you guys anymore. I can see I’m embarrassing your boyfriend. It was good meeting you, Makoto-kun. Sou, Auntie will be very happy to hear you’re not alone anymore. You better bring him around!”
With that he walked off from the same direction he came leaving both boys stunned, red-faced and embarrassed. Sousuke brought a hand up to his face to cover it and groaned. Uncle Taka was shit at keeping his mouth shut about anything, even if it wasn’t true.
The next family reunion was going to be hell.
Sousuke turned to Makoto, who looked as dumbfounded as he did, before profusely apologizing for his family. Getting past the shock, Makoto blinked and gave a small smile, assuring Sousuke that it was nothing. Sousuke shrugged his shoulders and gave a mirroring smile back in relief, hoping to continue their impromptu shopping trip in relative peace.
The twins popped out from behind Makoto and began a barrage of questions, asking who that man was, what was he talking about, and why he was so loud? Sousuke glanced at Makoto as he did his best to answer their inquiries, watching him do his best to appease the little gremlins of their growing list of questions.
“So wait, big brother, you got a boyfriend? Does that mean he’s also our big brother now?!”
Both the twins' heads swivel towards Sousuke, causing him to flinch as two pairs of round green eyes bear into his soul, before both children bound up to him and cling to his legs, excited calls of “big brother” and “pick me up please” carry through the store aisle. Makoto looks at him, distress clearly visible as the twins attempt to climb him like a park jungle gym, before he pulls them back and berates them.
Sousuke just sighs heavily, waving off Makoto’s profuse apologies to assuage his clear anxiety over the two hellions and their disdain for anything calm and quiet.
“It’s really fine. I swear, really.”
Makoto once again looks at Sousuke in unending gratitude before explaining to the children that no, he did not get a boyfriend, no, Sousuke was not their new big brother, and no, they definitely could not climb on him.
Both twins whined, pleading with Makoto to get married to Sousuke so they could have two big brothers that could carry them, that way they didn’t have to fight over Makoto anymore.
Both older boys' faces were blazing by then, and they continued their shopping at a much more hurried pace, just wanting the embarrassment to end. Finally, everything had been gathered in the basket and Makoto was through the checkout line in record speed, everything bagged and ready to go. Sousuke, despite what happened at the store, offered to help carry the groceries back to Makoto’s.
“That’s very nice of you, Sousuke, but I don’t want to be a bother. I’m sure you've got more exciting plans than helping me.”
He really didn’t.
Sousuke shook his head and grabbed a couple bags from Makoto in silence, quiet assurance that he was more than willing to continue helping, before nodding his head to signal to lead on. Makoto gave another appreciative smile, which he seemed to have an abundance of today, taking both twins in each hand while holding a couple groceries himself, guiding them as Sousuke carried the heavier items.
The incessant chatter of the twins broke up the quiet that threatened to fall between the two older boys and, for that, Sousuke was grateful. The walk was relatively nice, the sunshine warm, not too scorching, and the sky was a brilliant blue that made Sousuke consider hitting up the beach. He actually began to enjoy himself with the presence of the other three, listening to the many questions the twins had about the workings of the world, and Makoto’s attempts to explain. All too soon they were at the Tachibana household, the twins running inside immediately to tell their parents of their fun trip.
Makoto turned to Sousuke to grab the bags.
“Thank you so much, Yamazaki-kun. I honestly don’t know how I would have done it without you. They were rowdier than normal.”
Sousuke waved him off, stating he was literally doing nothing and that Makoto helped him pass the time.
“Also, please, just call me Sousuke.”
Makoto blushed a little, feeling shy about calling Sousuke by his first name, but agreed as long as he did the same. Sousuke couldn’t help, but find it a little cute, as Makoto’s ears gained that soft strawberry red.
They said their goodbyes and parted ways, though not before the piercing cries of the twins could be heard, “Makoto got a boyfriend, so we have a new big brother now!”
Both boys looked at each other in mortification as they heard the twins talk about what Sousuke’s uncle had said while Makoto’s parents looked on in rapt interest. Makoto bid him a hasty farewell before turning to run inside and explain the whole situation.
Sousuke waved slightly, before his hand fell to his side.
Oh, man, he was definitely catching feelings.
Sousuke strutted off, whistling on his way, feeling lighter than he did at the beginning of his day, before he realized he forgot to get Makoto’s number. He made a mental reminder to ask Rin for it, before heading towards Samezuka, worn out from the day's activities. He walked a good distance before it became increasingly clear.
“Damn… I am so lost.”