Partners

Partners

Viva la Viveca


Disclaimer‭ ‬:‭ ‬MASHIMA-SENSEI‭!!! ‬SELL HARU TO ME PLEASE‭?!?!? =^‬.‭^=??


A/N:‭ Okay, my timeline MAY be off by now, but I’m estimating this would be the second week of the story so >.> if someone wants to contradict me... well I’m not going to listen to them because this is where I’m picking back up!! =3

Chapter‭ ‬12‭ ‬::‭ Today’s The Day

‭The next couple of days were relatively quiet for me. Lucia came over whenever he had the chance to, and Musica stayed except for going to classes to keep up and get my homework. We redid our entire survey for Sociology, and went onto the next part so we could finish it up. The next thing I knew it was Monday morning and the week of Catt’s wedding. I figured they probably decided to go on with it since I didn’t really hear from her anymore. She probably realized that she didn’t really need me at all. Honestly I don’t think I minded.

‭I couldn’t help but think about it, especially since Lucia and Musica seemed to be specifically trying to steer me away from the subject. I appreciated their efforts. More than anything I appreciated them being civil to each other. By Sunday they even seemed to be getting along, when they realized they liked the same bands. It was a big deal to Musica since most of his friends hated his type of old rock-and-roll favorites. Lucia liked jazz and stuff like that too, but he seemed to be the classic rock more than anything. It was sort of funny to watch them doing their own little air band in the kitchen together. I just hope they never found out I caught it on video camera.

‭I woke up that morning with a sense of doom. Lucia had stayed the night after a particularly hard evening at work. Of course, us being in the same bed together had lead to sex, it was inevitable, but we were gentler, less urgent about it that we normally were. It was really nice. I almost didn’t want to wake up when I opened my eyes and realized that he was spooned against me with his arms holding me tight to his body. I was happy. I mean, I woke up and I didn’t feel the urge to cry at least. There was a weight on my chest though, and it wasn’t just Lucia’s arm. Something made it feel harder to breath. At least today meant no school; it was some government holiday that meant all the schools were closed for the day.

‭I managed to slip out of Lucia’s arms and pull clothes on. We had already showered (at like five in the morning) so I wasn’t concerned about that. I groaned as I stretched, going and grabbing myself an orange soda (my newest addiction) just as the phone rang.

‭Nobody was up. I suppose I could have let it go to the answering machine, but I followed the gut feeling telling me to pick it up. “Hello?” I answered, sounding like my normal chipper self. It shocked even me a bit. But more than anything it surprised the person on the other line.

‭“Haru?” Catt’s voice sounded surprised but still sort of wary. I sighed.

‭“Yeah, Catt?” I said quietly, going and sitting at the kitchen table. I had calmed down over the past couple days, and even though I had my doubts, I was determined to try and talk this over if she was willing to try and not scream at me anymore. I just didn’t feel like being the one to make the first move. I didn’t really want to bother anymore. It wouldn’t bother me a bit if she never spoke to me again. At least that’s what I told myself.

‭“Listen, Haru, can we talk?”

‭“Aren’t we talking right now?” it came out a lot more spiteful than I originally had wanted. I sighed and shook my head. “Sorry. Yeah, we can talk. What do you want?”

‭“I want to meet face to face and talk things over. We’re siblings, we’re supposed to stick together. We obviously have issues with each other we need to work out. You’re my baby brother, and I’m sorry for hurting you. Please Haru, can we just talk? I’ll come to your place if you want, or we can meet somewhere neutral. Whatever you want.”

‭She sounded desperate. I tried not to falter on my decision to have nothing more to do with her. And I caved. “The park, the one you used to take me and Musica to play at when we were kids... meet me there in an hour... I hope you don’t mind if I bring someone with me?” I asked. It would be my one demand out of all of this.

‭“Sure, bring as many people as you want. Is it okay if I bring Shuda?” she asked softly. She must have known it was a tender subject. I said yes, since he was part of my problem in all this, and if we were going to work all this out, might as well go the whole way. By the time I hung up I was shaking a bit. I didn’t cry though. I was a bit proud of myself for handling it so well.

‭“Haru?” Musica gave a loud yawn, coming out in nothing but jeans, having just taken a shower from the looks of it. He eyed my slightly shaking body up suspiciously. “Who was that?”

‭“Catt... she wants to talk...” I said, standing up and moving toward my bedroom. I fully intended to bring Lucia with. Apparently he was part of her problem, so I figured no better way to deal with it than with him right beside me. Besides, I wanted every problem out in the open. It meant either we could make up, or that we just couldn’t deal with each other anymore. I figured it would be the latter.

‭“You’re going?”

‭“I’m supposed to meet her... I’m taking Lucia with me... Can you come and sort of be a referee if things get nasty? She’s bringing Shuda with her...” my voice was quiet, but I was actually starting to feel hopeful. Maybe we could work this out. Of course, this could really hurt things as well... I looked up just as he nodded and continued on my way to wake my boyfriend.

‭Lucia was already up, sitting on the edge of the bed trying to get his leg through his pants. I watched for a minute before laughing. It was comical, he couldn’t even manage to get his leg in the right leg of his jeans. His hair was in complete disarray, and he was obviously still groggy. He was adorable in a manly, grumpy-in-the-morning sort of way. “Not funny. I’m tired.”

‭“Maybe you shouldn’t stay up so late? Come on, it’s noon and we have a meeting in an hour to attend,” I told him, going over and kissing his cheek affectionately before going through my closet for clean clothes. “You might wanna go home and change first of course.”

‭He nodded, not asking questions. The look on his face told me he could already figure out what was important enough to go out for at this hour despite our long night.

‭The drive to his apartment was quiet. I watched Musica’s car following us through the side view mirror. Compared to Lucia’s baby, Musica had nothing. He had an older car that he had completely restored. It still looked nice, but it wasn’t as shiny as Lucia’s was. Well, it probably was because Musica was so anal about taking care of it and making sure it wasn’t dirty, but it didn’t look as sleek and new at least.

‭Musica waited outside while I went upstairs with Lucia. It didn’t take him long to change, but I told him about the phone conversation reluctantly and explained my thoughts on it all.

‭“That’s the best way to do it. Get everything out, all your problems with each other right away,” he said as he was lacing up his shoes. “The sooner everything’s in the open, the sooner we can figure if this can be worked out or not.”

‭“We?”

‭“If this was just between you and your sister anymore, would you be bringing me and she be bringing her fiance?” he asked, kissing my forehead and heading toward the door. “Unfortunately now we’re involved and we all have to work this out together. I’m sure everything will be fine, love.”

‭I directed him to the park. It wasn’t hard to get to at all, really.

‭Luckily we were early by about thirty minutes. It gave us time to sit around, reminiscing about being kids and going to parks just like this one. The had long since been abandoned though, and it made me sort of sad. Everything was rusting and decaying from lack of care, and despite my urge to go play on the swings I knew they wouldn’t hold my weight anymore.

‭We didn’t sit for long; Catt was always fifteen minutes early to everything. It was a habit she had tried to impose on me, but my lack of time management and general bad luck meant I was normally late to everything, or just barely on time.

‭I took a deep breath, gripping Lucia’s hand like it was my last lifeline. I was fairly sure if this didn’t turn out well that it would be as I watched Catt approach, Shuda following along with a careful look in his eyes. I probably looked like shit from the lack of sleep and everything, but Catt didn’t say anything like she normally would have, and Shuda merely nodded at us. I could tell he thought he was just there to support Catt or drag her off if she got too pissed off.

‭“Haru...” Catt said as she got to the table we were sitting at. It was a relatively new picnic table that could easily fit three people on each side, a community service project by the local girl scouts troop according to the plaque on the edge of it. I sat side-by-side with Lucia, leaning against him for comfort. I could already feeling all the emotions I had felt over the past week coming back to me. It all felt so surreal over the past couple of days I had had away from it, but now it came all rolling back and I found myself angry and hurt just at the sight of her.

‭She sighed, sitting down across from me, barely even glancing at Lucia. “Listen. Haru, I’m so, so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I never meant to say the things I did. But I said them. I know there’s no taking them back, and I don’t think I would even if I could,” she started. I could see Shuda cringed at her lack of eloquence. I blinked. At least she was being straightforward. “I love you, I always have. Yes. You remind me a lot of dad. But it’s more that just the way you look. It’s the way you are. You’re so much like what he was before mom died. I tried so hard to never let it get to me, but dammit Haru, I want to have a life, I want to be happy.”

‭“And I’m not trying to take that away from you,” I cut in before she could go farther. I knew if I didn’t say what I needed to say I would just break down. Lucia was right, I was too forgiving. “But you’ve been so damn forceful with all this wedding shit. I never asked to be a part of it, because personally I don’t even like him. No offense Shuda, but I just don’t feel you’re worth Catt’s time. I’m biased that way. No man’s going to ever be good enough for her, even if they tried going out of their way to prove it. Someone’s going to screw up and hurt her. I’ve already done that, and I’ve spent my entire life with her.”

‭The red-head nodded like he had been expecting that. “I understand,” he said quietly. He was always quiet. “I’m not asking for your approval, because it doesn’t mean a thing. I love Catt. I’m sure you understand.”

‭I glanced at Lucia and nodded back at him. “Now I do, very much so. I just wish everyone else could understand that,” I looked pointedly at Catt. “I don’t want to be forced into something I don’t even approve of, but I’m not going to stop you from marrying him. Hell, he makes you happy. That’s what matters. Yes, at first I was a bit jealous because you didn’t spend as much time with me, but then I grew up. Realized eventually I was going to have college, a job, and a life, maybe even a boyfriend or girlfriend. Now I have all that, and I understand the lack of time. I’m not mad at you for that. I’m just mad because you suddenly turned into Bridezilla.”

‭She looked like she wanted to say something, but I was on a roll and I kept going. “I never loved Elie. I started dating her to get rid of those stupid rumors that I was gay. I’m not gay. I’m bisexual. But I was never really attracted to her. She was a friend, nothing more. Now she doesn’t even deserve that.”

‭“She cheated on me, Catt. She never loved me either, and she was never worth my time in the first place. I’ve been attracted to Lucia for a long time... we were just stupid enough to try and cover all that up with rivalry and anger... Now we know better,” I looked at Lucia again, smiling a bit. “I’m sorry if you don’t approve, but like Shuda said. I’m not seeking your approval. I love him and I’m not leaving him... Unless he wants me to?”

‭He smiled at me and shook his head. I felt a little more sure of our relationship with that smile. Catt sighed, rubbing her temples. “I... understand... and I don’t approve... because no one’s ever going to be good enough for my baby brother...” she said, a tear in her eye.

‭I saw Lucia nod out of the corner of my eye before his spoke. “Don’t worry, I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough for him either, but he seems to think otherwise, so I’m not going to argue with him,” he said, just loud enough for all of us to hear him.

‭It was silent for a few moments. “I’m sorry, Catt. I shouldn’t have said what I said either... but it was building up... when... when you compared me to him like that, it just burst. It hurt like hell. I would never hurt you like that, never leave you like that, no matter how many mistakes I think you’re making.”

‭She nodded, wiping another tear off her cheek. “And I was stupid. And selfish, but I think we’ve both been selfish without even realizing it. We just have to try a little harder... and no more holding back, we can’t learn from our mistakes if they’re not pointed out to us, right?” she said, standing up and coming over to give me a hug. “I love you baby brother. Never forget that. I would never leave you either. I just want a life that doesn’t consist of taking care of you. I want a family of my own now... Is that okay with you?”

‭It seemed like such a simple question, but both of us knew it was something we had to think about deeply. I wrapped my arms around her, wondering if I was really okay with it. “I’m not sure, but... I’ve been dependant on you for so long Catt... I need to have my own life too now... So, just do what you have to and I’ll do what I have to, and if it works out, then all the better. If not, then we can look back on this and point out that our worries were all well-founded. Right?”

‭Catt chuckled and whispered in my ear: “I don’t think that’s going to be a concern. If he really cares for you as much as it seems, then I think everything will work out fine,” she stood up straight, backing up. “We cool?”

‭I sighed and stood up too, nodding. “Yeah... I think so at least...” I understood enough of both sides now. We were just on opposite ends of the same boat. “Anyone else have any concerns?”

‭Musica raised his hand. “Uh, yeah. I have like... multiple concerns... seriously, like a week of crying and fighting and all that shit and suddenly this is all fine and dandy? The issues have to be deeper than that,” he said, eyebrow raised. I knew he wasn’t trying to be an asshole or anything, he wanted to make sure everything got cleaned up the way it was supposed to. It seemed to simple to him, and I agreed. But I figured everything could be worked through over time.

‭Catt blinked and looked at Shuda. He shrugged. “Personally I think it’s enough for now. If there’s anything else it can be worked over time, piece by piece. This isn’t something that can be completely cured over a sit-down conversation or two...” he said, looking at both of us as if daring us to argue. We didn’t. We knew he was right.

‭“Okay, just so that’s out there and everyone understands this... second concern... I’m hungry, can we go eat?” Musica had a goofy grin on his face and my own stomach rumbled. Catt giggled a bit, nodding.

‭As we were heading to the vehicles and discussing where we would all go to eat, just like we were suddenly one big happy family, Catt pulled be back and let everyone go ahead. “Haru... Please, will you be a part of the wedding? It would mean a lot to me, really it would. I don’t think it would be the same without you...” she asked. I think I would have said yes, even if she hadn’t looked and sounded so pleading.

‭“Yeah. It’d be an honor. Just thank the gods I’m not walking with Elie,” I said with a bit of a relieved sigh. I’m glad I didn’t convince her to change that part. I don’t think I could handle that.

‭“And... just because I’m curious... Are you sure Elie cheated on you?”

‭“I dunno, walking in and seeing her fucking my sociology teacher was a pretty convincing factor.”

‭I didn’t think it would dawn on her so quickly, but the moment the word ‘teacher’ was out of my mouth, I was convinced Sieg would die a painful death. And if looks could kill... well... Catt didn’t get called “Medusa” in high school for nothing.

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‭AN: WH00T!!! MOAR PARTNERS!!! This is probably my last chapter for a few days. I have surgery tomorrow morning, but I was inspired to work on this more. I re-edited and added a lot to the story over all... To one or two of the chapters I actually added an extra page to, though it’s up to you if you want to go back and read it. Read, Review and Receive teh love of teh Vive!!!