masanari | [Futurelandia] The Wonderful Christmas (and maybe into New Years stuff too)

[Futurelandia] The Wonderful Christmas (and maybe into New Years stuff too)

[ Their pack's Christmas tended to be one which was full and chaotic, despite the fact that there were increasingly less children in the house as Yamato and Junko (and yes, Koji too) all grew to maturity. In some ways, this was actually more "kids" than had been in the house for it than in a long time, what with their new additions.

Still: Masaomi, Nariko, Ada, Sullivan, Emily, Octavio, Tom, Yamato, Junko, Koji, Veronica, and Audrey - Twelve people with at least one gift for everyone else, often times more in the case of those who were more generous or had deeper pockets or more to impress others with. The sheer number (even if it had grown over time) is probably what prompted them to set up a grate tree in one of the living room spaces which was probably meant to be a formal dining room and then lay out all the presents from everyone wrapped up under it andt hen sprawled out for a wide area around it all. There's chairs set up in a circle around the room to give everyone room to sit and the first one there (Which if, of course, Masaomi) brought bags for the wrapping paper to go into a recycle.

Also Masaomi has on a santa hat and a fake beard. Both of which Ada picked out years ago, and he wears mostly out of tradition. It's similarly out of tradition that he got up at the ass crack of dawn to sit in the room and eat some rice before anyone else got up, wait for them all to filter on in here usually starting with Ada or Sullivan or in recent years his eldest son so people can start to make breakfast and be ready. But either way, breakfast and present opening in the morning! A white elephant gift exchange game in the afternoon! A big dinner in the evening!

Christmas is a time of togetherness, where there has to be some structure, but there's a lot which can happen beyond all that and often did. Movies watched, songs sung, and even if this year of different and strange for a variety of reasons... well. It was still their day, and everyone would enjoy it. ]

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[ That's... He actually blinks at that, as if she needed to ask that of all things. But dutifully, he responds, ]

I love you.

[ In fact, his eyes move off from her but only for a moment, only to look at the face down picture frame she's brought along with her when he carried her over, and then right back to her. ... He'd offended her again, but this time, he was only barely sure how. He could only barely guess what the problem was. ]

[What, she can't just need to hear it?] I love you, too. [And then:] Thank you.

[But she ends up watching the path his eyes make, from her to the frame back to her again. Thankfully of the two of them Nariko isn't the one to hesitate to ask a question or voice her first thought.]

What is it?

[He's staring for a reason, and she knows that, so he's better of just answering than trying to lie to her.]

You don't thank me for loving you, Nariko. [ Which is totally and completely not in contradiction to the fact that they chose to be together like this and shut up. ... Okay no, their biology helped a lot with that. Still, the Alpha - ah. He strokes her hair, absently. ]

I was just thinking back on how young we really were then. And our kids are really still quite young, if we compare them to us.

[ Basically, even if Yamato is an adult legally and Junko isn't long to follow, even if Koji knows his mate or Yamato is an Alpha, even if Junko went off to college or Yamato became a pro... even when they were in their early-mid 20s and mated and had a kid, in retrospect, they were so young. Or at least, it feels like that as compared to now. So even with all of their experiences then, they were young. How mature could their children possibly be.

... So basically, she was right to say he shouldn't have mentioned grandchildren ]

That's not what I was thanking you for. [So he really didn't need to worry about that. But she relaxes into that touch, draws designs along his lower back and up his spine as she listens to what he's saying just as much as everything he keeps to himself.] They're incredibly young, Masaomi, and we're not exactly old, either.

[Sure, they weren't in the same class as Yamato and Junko anymore, but no one was at an extreme aspect of the spectrum, here. When they'd been dealing with Yamato and his arrival they'd been stupid, winging it like any other set of new parents. If anything Nariko would make the argument that she wasn't really any sort of 'adult' until her mid thirties, and now she's just barely edging towards the next tier. They've spent a lot of time scrambling to figure out how it all works.

Maybe that was kind of why she wanted another kid. Yamato had been the first pancake, Junko was a little easier, and then Koji had just been outright smiled. If they had a fourth they'd both finally know enough to be the best parents they could be. ... But that was another topic. She looks at that picture too, and then makes the ridiculous effort to reach over just enough to turn it over so she can really look at it.]

I'm sorry. [She got upset, and some of the reasons for that upset were valid. But other parts of it were stupid and illogical.]

[ He starts to say something like "you don't need to say sorry" or "no I'm sorry" but ... he doesn't actually yet realize what he would be apologizing for other than he did upset her. So instead, Masaomi decides...

... Maybe he should communicate more. He glances again at the picture, and then back at her face. He kisses her briefly (his shoulder stings a little now, the cuts open up to the air around them - ]

Mmm, how about for the sorry you tell me what you thanked me for?

[ Because then he might understand it a little better? ... They aren't old, are they? He - ] My father died only about ten years older than this.

[ Maybe that warped his sense of time. That his father died in his early fifties. ]

[.... Ah. Okay, one issue at a time, here. But she acknowledges that part concerning his father by taking one his hands, squeezing it. But, for now:]

I thanked you because I just needed to hear it without anything else being added on. If you hear what really matters then petty shit becomes easier to deal with.

[Ergo - he wasn't right to not trust her in regards to Nathan, but she was getting wrapped up in a lot of extra, little stuff that didn't matter. He was kind of being a dick, but her getting huffy and emotional didn't help, either. They'd have to deal with the issue of her brother eventually, she knew that. So for the moment she just needed to be able to calm down.

Otherwise she probably would have smacked him.]

[ Honestly he might deserve that smack. ... He might deserve a lot of smacks. Still, he accepts the squeeze on his hand, and he nods. She... Ah, right. The big picture, the main point without the details. ]

And you're sorry because you thought you were too focused on the petty shit.

[ He tries that out. ]

I'm sorry I didn't react to the part that is actually a problem. You thinking about money first, all the time, even beyond a person's feelings, isn't exactly pleasant. I can't pretend to like that.

[And, really, unless he's been selectively blind she's never made her disagreement with that nature a mystery, but she's never actively put him down for it either. It wasn't that important, but she could get weirdly caught up in it, like now.]

That you'll trust me with everyone but my own brother is something else, or that you won't just admit you might not want me to go see him isn't right, either. None of that is petty.

[It's an issue, but. The result of their funeral escapade is that she's going to be reasonable, she brings it up without any aggression or dragging excess negativity into it.]

[ What in the fuck is she talking about? He-- ]

Thinking about money first?! [ No, no, no, he shouldn't get angry at this, but ... but he does. He's offended, largely because he's needed to manage the finances for this house for years (even if he didn't need to, what with her money) when it was way beyond anything that should logically be within his means and he grew up with concerns about money (his pack wasn't exactly a wealthy one and he had to be self-sufficient-ish by the time he was a legal adult or so) and she's getting on his case now?! The year that he actually went out of his way to make big, impressive, expensive gifts for everyone? Honestly, the brother thing is something else entirely because he is completely justified there but- ]

I literally invested tens of thousands into that trip! And I just told you that I can cancel it if you want to go to your brother! What about that makes me value money over your feelings?!

[ . . Okay he didn't really pull off the not being offended thing ]

Edited 2016-01-11 03:26 (UTC)

... Didn't I just admit that was the stupid thing I shouldn't have gotten caught up in, and am sorry that I did?

[Because he had really tried this year, and done a wonderful job, because she knew he hadn't grown up in the same way as her, and because, well, there was probably some part of him that thought all that money had made her life better. It hadn't, but that's an even worse conversation to get into.]

[ He...

He needs to reign it in. He inhales hard through his nose, and he shakes his head. ... Did she really see him that way? Did she really see him as some heartless scrooge after all he had done in order to try to provide for this house and his pack? Well excuse him for not having grown up as some rich boy who felt comfortable throwing around money willy nilly, who didn't think that investing in a two floor house in a city was a small investment---

... He really shouldn't be this pissed off at it, particularly at the expense of the other part of it. And he exhales just as hard and - ]

You did. [ He admits that. Calm, calm. ... Weren't they better? And this was communication. ]

[ ... So what's she supposed to say, now? Every time she opens her mouth it just seems to cause more problems.

If she thought it might help to speak then she would, in some way or another, tell him that's not what she thinks of him in the least. It's not like the trait doesn't have it's explanation, and it hadn't ever really impacted how she thought of him, either. Was the idea of taking the cottage from Yamato at any given moment kind of mean? Yes. He couldn't really change her mind on that.

But, let's face it, he's still upset at her, she can practically feel it roiling off of him.

When she wiggles up a little it effectively separates their bodies and while it's always wrong to be disconnected from him now it actually seems to physically hurt.]

Just forget I said anything, okay? I'm sorry. [The house or her brother or any of that, really. It would have been fine if she kept her mouth shut. ... All of her clothes are ripped so she doesn't have anything to put back on. Well, shit.]

[ Where is she going? Was she - ]

I don't trust Nathaniel.

[ He shouldn't speak, should he? She was already backing off from him, pulled him out of her body. She was moving away from him. Was that his fault or her fault? And why did it come to this right after he'd given her some beautiful gifts, ones he put so much effort into? Yamato could impress her with a ring, and he ... couldn't impress her with something eleven times the price or something with fifty times the effort?

... It's petty to be this jealous. He exhales again, releasing the tension from his body. He squeezes her hand, and he puts another arm so as to pin her there. ]

I'm sorry about that. I'm worried about you going to visit him alone, after he so boldly asked you to leave me.

[He gets her before she can slide off of the couch, so she's sort of caught awkwardly between the handholding and his arm around her torso. She could wiggle out if she wanted to, sure, but that wasn't really the goal and that would be an awful lot of work, too. Nariko ends up staying just like that, and fervently ignores the part of her that's actually kind of impressed. She figured he'd just let her run off.]

So why didn't you just say that? [Instead of placing their trip - which did mean a whole hell of a lot more than Yamato's ring, which was so rare a gesture from him that if they weren't arguing she still might think it was one of her stupid daydreams - right in the middle of possibly helping her brother move.]

Wasn't that the whole point of being able to veto people? [And in a way that's ... Well, she can't help thinking it's almost what he wants to do, but that the possibility hasn't crossed his mind or that to admit that he wants to veto someone first might have something weird and Masaomi-like attached to it.]

Edited 2016-01-11 04:16 (UTC)

[ He doesn't even know why he feels so jealous now, if he's honest. It's not like him, to have this lack of confidence in her - maybe it's that she is trying to run off. Maybe it's that he had put himself out there with these gifts this year, invested a lot more of himself than he tends to with any one gesture, and not just monetarily. And maybe...

But no, he won't let her go right now. Maybe she would hate him for it, he doesn't know. ]

... Vetoing him isn't fair, Nariko. It's not fair to you, and I don't know if it would even be possible in the first place.

[ Was he doubting Nathan or doubting her in saying that, and would she be offended by it? He doesn't know, he's worried by it. But he thinks back to the very first thing that came up between them about it. "You never forget your brother" or something to that effect, she had said.

... That and yes, he would not want to be the first ]

[He doesn't answer the question that actually matters to her but, really, she can sort of find the answer in watching him? Which - hey, at least she's looking at him now! It's an immediate improvement. He's really not used to being jealous, is he? It's almost like there's hardly anything in him that knows how to process it correctly. First Nathan, and then Yamato. Masaomi was taking them both in as real threats without knowing how to smooth that feeling, or how to 'win' her over, for lack of a better way.

.... At least that's kind of what she gets from it all. A lot of it is just instinct and trying to think clearly about the man she's watched and remained beside for so many years. In theory she knows him very well, but instances like these make her doubt that but she has to try and go with it.]

You know, you picked a really cute swimsuit. I'm still going to have to abandon it if I want an even tan, though.

[She's going to acknowledge what he's done. She thought the whole, y'know, near tears level of excitement had made it clear but apparently not. Or maybe this would just help repair whatever part of him was still jealous, and she was hoping that the sincerity would at least give her an edge, here. She really was excited and of course it meant the universe to her that, for once, he wanted to go on a trip with her. It wouldn't hurt to show some more of that.] That's going to be a lot more fun than worrying about boxes and shipping things.

[ Hey that love making...! ...

Yeah it should have been a more obvious tell, really. Sue him, he could be a simple person at the worst of times (and yes, she's pretty much right on the money with that assessment, even if he might not know it himself). Still, he smiles a little bit at that, the smile growing in a warm, thankful sort of way. ]

I should have thought of that, the tanning. Still, I'm sure you'll get many chances to wear it. [ A beat, and - ] Actually, I'll get a chance to wear your suit too. I've heard there's a beautiful view at this place called Magnolia.

[ Was this just avoiding the topic, or was it latching on to a new one? Even he wasn't sure right now. Honestly, he still feels a little wavy, a little bit bad. But there's nothing wrong with embracing this sort of thing with your mate, he just makes a mental footnote to go back to the topic of her brother. ]

[Look, the sex was great but when it came to fighting off those that could be perceived as threats sex was only an aspect of it. But the fact of the matter was that Masaomi was never forced to actually sway her. He probably didn't know all the little things that would either consciously or subconsciously endear her towards a man, things which Nathan would automatically know, and that Yamato might be able to needle out of her more easily. In that sense ... He really is at a serious disadvantage, so his reactions might be valid, in the most screwed up way.]

Are you kidding? I don't really plan on wearing anything else! It's absolutely nothing or the bikini! [His suit!!!] I have to make sure it fits before we go! I mean, I took a lot of the measurements from ones you already wear but there might still be a few adjustments!

[She can't help getting a little serious about that, but Nariko resettles underneath him, she makes sure to avoid the fresh marks on his back when she holds onto him. Masaomi could even get away with shoving his dick in her, if it made him feel better! She's very clearly receptive.] I should definitely bring an evening dress then, hm? Should you help me pick, or should I make it a surprise so that you can't help wanting me in the moment?

[They'll come back to it. It's not a completely dead topic but ... Nariko, as a woman, needed to feel appreciated and loved. Masaomi, as a man, needed to feel acknowledged and dominant in her life.]

[ Are you saying that their connection is only sex??? Because wow that's rude, they've been together for years and years, okay! ... But yeah, he was concerned. ]

Oh, you know me, I actually love surprises. [ He says this with a wry sort of smirk, but... ] Something that matches my suit though, I think. And yeah, we'll make those measurements.

[ He should just stick his dick back in her. but he doesn't just yet, but he does move the one hand to stroke the side of her face and slide down her. He makes to rest his hand between her legs so that he might tease her down there. There's actually some other bits of concern and the topic would need to be returned to, but... to be connected was better. ]

[They've been together years and years and mostly just had a lot of sex in that time! Which wasn't a bad thing! Nariko didn't regret it. But there were surely little details about each other that they missed because there was no dating, no courting, no toying around with one another before they really tied it together for the long haul. It's just how it played out!]

Of course we have to be matching, we're old enough to do that unironically and look epic.

[When he touches her she's actually completely sure he's just going to hold her face or let her toy with his fingers or something! But then he keeps going lower and lower and Masaomi gets the express pleasure of watching her confusion melt into surprise than to an interesting variation of excited embarrassment.]

... You like doling out surprises, too. Today was proof of it!

[She leans up to kiss him a little.] You were great, by the way.

[ He does like doling out surprises, and he was showing them here. Masaomi was a selfish lover, and it could be said be part of his charm, that he was so aggressively selfish that the other party had fun in that time. Still, the man now was working his fingers inside of her, teasing her around the rings and pressing on her clip even as he thrust the fingers wildly inside of her. It's a mix of things which might eventually give him a hand cramp but-

That look on her face is worth it. So.

The kiss is something he can mild into too ]

Thank you. [ A beat, and... ] I should have booked the trip some other time, I know.

[This has always been such a silly thing to be turned on by, but there's something about being fingered that makes her anticipate the real thing, and the memory of being filled with a cock is a fierce enough thing by itself, and she can't help wanting it. Her hips buck and her scent slams upward, as if they hadn't fought, as if she hadn't been ready to give him space.

If they're going to revolve around sex then it's a damn good thing they're both so good at it.]

N-No, it's - [How is she supposed to think like this?] I mean, look, it's kind of nice that for once I'm not the only one worried! [Usually she's the one pulling at his heels, trying to warn him of the dangers that other people can present. But now it was all flipped around.]

I just ... Want you to be able to trust me, too. [Because Nathan had asked her to leave Masaomi and she'd immediately said no. He'd questions everything that made up she and Masaomi's relationship and Nariko had instinctively defended it without romanticizing or coddling the whole deal. To her, that was greater than biology, that was real, true love.] I would never pick him over you.

[ . . . He...

He doesn't let up on fingering her, he could do this in this sleep. And he keeps the focus on it too, but he's also intently focused on her face. He keeps his eyes timed on her own. And he opens his mouth to say something, stops, and then he - ]

I do trust you. [ Honestly, he did. In almost everything. But.... And he hates that there's a but here. Because she's right, the choices they had made, and her choice to be with him and to defend him was precious. But- ] He'd taken you without asking before.

[ He's never been fully clear on that happened that time, but that did weigh on his mind ]

[That's -- In a lot of ways she can't believe he really went and said that. Now isn't the time, it's not the place. But, then, for her, there might not ever be such a thing as a good time or place. It's in that moment that her scent does something incredibly strange - one second she might as well burn the room and then there's absolutely nothing, it's like the immediate back and forth of the rubber ball against the paddle. Her brain doesn't know what to do, so her hormones become a mess.]

Masaomi. [And she fixes that by focusing on him, zeroing in on what he's doing so ... Maybe this was the right time, weirdly enough.] ... It's a ... Fair concern.

[What happened according to Nariko, and her memories, which were neither buried or even vaguely repressed:

She had taken the pill, without knowing what it might actually do to her. She had understood, in the quiet way that anyone with an understanding of the dynamics at play also would have, that it might leave her powerless, or might give Nathan some kind of opportunity. In that sense the decision did lend her some agency. But throughout that whole trip before she went off to college and Nathan would go to boarding school to be away from his sister, she had continued to reject him, and he had become more and more upset.

By the time they reached the point of that pill, of her finding it in her food it was - she was afraid of what he would do. She couldn't take it anymore. So it was either take the damn thing and suck up the consequences, or not take it, and wonder if he might throw himself off a bridge or never speak to her again. It hadn't been a fair choice. It had allowed him to do as he pleased while she was completely aware of every sensation, every word he spoke and every feeling in her own nerves.

In Nariko's eyes Masaomi's summation is the correct one: It was all taken without asking, without giving her a real choice with logical consequences. And her mate, who would also look out for her safety, had a right to be deeply concerned.]

... I won't go. [To see him. She would still be his sister, still takes pictures and send them but. She wouldn't put Masaomi through that suffering, wondering if Nathan might manage to push her into another corner. If the situation were reversed and Nariko had to stay at home, stuck wondering - she'd go out of her mind, terrified that he might be hurt and she wouldn't be at his side, it would practically kill her.]

[ He... ]

I'm sorry.

[ But... ] Maybe it'll change once he's around here. Don't... you don't have to count it as a veto

[ the fact of the matter is that he was worried about her, terribly worried about her and what Nathan might do. Nathan seemed like a good guy other than that one time though, so he didn't know if he was being unfair. He wanted to believe that - she had listed him, after all, as one of her choices. Some part of her enjoyed it and him and the thought of him enough to list him. He wanted to honor that, and to honor family. But he also ... he just worried, that's all.

But he also felt incredibly gratified to her hear say that. ]

yeah it really is, but it can be a conversation starter of "wow this is not how it is"

that is a very very good point

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I'm so sorry by the way

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this whole thing really makes me feel like she'd be incredibly envious of Charlotte and Fred

... rofl poor Nariko (but hey she creepily raised him in her image so there's that)

Charlotte conquered with her son where Nariko failed )x !!

Nariko's son would conquer her or something if it makes her feel better

it does. Although goodness he probably takes after Masaomi in a lot of ways too so there's that

Hahaha he does like he's Masaomiish but more empathetic and less overly demanding

I hate myself a little for kind of wanting him to go for it slides hands down face

I do a little too but I also want to keep Masaomi and Nariko to be okay the choices

Life is hard, man.

Honestly the real question is can both happen can we pull off that dance

tbh I think the answer is yes on the caveat that Masaomi can somehow accept it over time?

Can Nariko handle it tho? he... might be able to it depends on like if their mateship is denounced

In the long run yes. I mean she'd end up calling/respond to both as her mate

Man now the only thing I'm torn on if it I want to lock her in as Yamato's only mate but I say we go