masanari | [Futurelandia] An Eventful Valentines and beyond (happy new year)

Am I, though?

[ He tilts his head to the side, and he pats her head one more time before taking his hand back up in front of him, resting it between his legs. He should put the ice back there. But for now, he'll take a sip of his tea. Doesn't have a mate... huh? In a way, he's just as slyly questioning her about if she'll grow out of his pack by then. ]

If this is a serious father-daughter talk, was that the main one?

[She pouts, but lets it go, threading her fingers around her cup.]

No, that was it, I thought it would be harder to discuss.

[But he figured it out and she confirmed it and now they're done with it, apparently! If he means anything else by 'the main one' then it's totally lost on her. They haven't seen each other in what feels like an incredibly long time, so it's not like he couldn't just ask her direct questions.]

Aaaah, why's that, Junko?

[ He slides a little closer to her now, holding his cup in hand to inhale the tea scent, but also getting up closer to her. It has been much too long, and now she's here to talk with him. And she was here to talk with him just to ask that he didn't impregnate her? He's not even the best father but that seems a little whack, doesn't it? So he should ask her more, talk about other random things... ]

[In what universe does he think that the current dynamic between even half their immediate family members isn't whack. Come on now. She's tempted to get snippy but decides against it, and instead takes a long drink so that she has time to find the words that she needs.]

I don't know. I guess it's because it's not as if it doesn't have it's appeal.

[That's ... Probably the heart of it, even if it's difficult for her to admit.]

[ It doesn't have it's appeal... huh. ]

How are you doing now, Junko? If you're not seeing that Ethan boy, I bet things went on a little longer than me righting him.

[ Again, he doesn't know for sure, but... ] And that friend and brother of yours are off doing new things. I hope everything hasn't gone too wild for you.

[ But all the same, he tries to sound light, sympathetic. And it's not like he's not, but he's trying to make this a real talk ]

[It could be said that she's telling Masaomi of her choice while she's lucid and completely within herself because if they were to work off of nothing but scent and primality her instincts would override her morals. The choice that's made while lucid is more correct than the one that results from external stimuli.]

Nope. Never saw him again. [She'll maintain it until something really forces her to admit to the truth. But since she's basically lying to her Alpha right now it shouldn't be any surprise that Junko moves on.]

I'm the only one in this house that's still keeping up with everything, in truth it's all been pretty boring.

[Except for ... Well. Should she just tell him? Would it be easier? But would he be mad?]

It's been nice having Rin around, though.

[Let's approach it that way.]

[ The only one keeping up with everything? Never saw him again.

... He has doubts about both of those but more pressing and more confusing in the moment is- ]

Eeeh, since when are you so fond of that brother of mine?

[Well, he's right about Ethan, of course, but Junko's been the most put together teenager. Her grades haven't slipped (like Yamato and Audrey), and she hasn't gotten ridiculous about her sex life (like Yamato and Koji). Of course her newfound mental stability is so new that it still shines, so there you go.]

I've always liked him! [Junko reaches up to rake her nails over her neck.] He's great company.

Oh no you didn't, you complained about him pretty loudly when you were eight or so.

[ > sex life isn't ridiculous
> everything you've done with Koji

r u sure

But at the sam time, he laughs at the memory, how positively vehement she was at the time... it's almost nostalgic. No, it's genuinely nostalgic all things considered. ]

I complain about Yamato all the time and I love him!

[ ......... Stop catching her in her lies, dad, it's not fair!!!!

Man, she should have talked about this with Emily (who would say to just go ahead and tell Masaomi) or her mom (who would be pissed and hate the idea of Junko and Rin ...) before coming in here. Still, it doesn't seem like he's really caught on so maybe she's got time to redirect them somehow.]

People grow up, they realize things, y'know? Did I hate everyone when I was eight, anyway?

[Everyone except Masaomi, first and foremost, and Yamato.]

[ Love him? That's sort of a weird term to apply to a distance family member like Rin? But all the same, Masaomi sagely nods at her and narrows his eyes a little, like he knows something. He doesn't, yet, but still. When she was eight... ]

Hmmm. Well you were sweet with me and your brother, and other than that big argument with your mother, with her too...

[ She was a little bratty though... ]

[But it's a perfectly normal term to use for ones mate!

And don't be polite, Masaomi, Junko was a terror up until nine or so. Koji being born meant she wasn't the baby anymore and that'd been a very difficult thing for Junko to process.]

Right, things change over time! It's only natural!

[She needs to stop trying to oversell this.]

[ He tilts his head to the side here though.

Wait a minute...

Something is super fishy here... ]

[She smiles!!! Really widely!!!!

And then actually looks normal for a second.]

What?

[Play it cool, man. Play it cool! Don't suddenly develop dad-senses now, Masaomi!!]

Okay...

So if I noticed you're not telling me something, Junko, then there's probably ten things you're not telling me. So I'm hereby... ah, wait.

[ Inhale, straighten face, look her right in the eye -- and then deeper, sterner, dad-Alpha voice ]

Tell me five things you're trying to hide from me.

[Fucking fuckity fuck, fuck, fucker!

She's so upset in that moment but Junko refuses to show it, instead she has to prepare herself for that tone and how it immediately strikes a small bit of fear in her, and a whole hell of a lot of obedience.]

Ah ...

[She just has to tell him things she's trying to hide, right? That doesn't mean they have to be about Rin! But Junko's never been the type to hide anything, either.]

I skipped class last week ... I asked mom to pay off my credit card?? [The second thing isn't even really that bad, in her eyes.]

Sometimes I still think Ethan is cute. [That'll be a really good one for him to chew on.] I think your assistant is a bitch because she gets more of your attention than I do.

[..... Okay she actually really shouldn't have admitted that, Rin or not.]

I don't really like Ada?

[Look, that was five things - she pulled this off!]

[ . . . Well some of those are fairly dark admissions for a variety of reasons. He hums a little, allowing her to get all of those off, keeping his hands to himself as he does it, but keeping his eyes locked on her. He holds the gaze for many long seconds afterwards. Some of those...

Merit some discussions. With both her and with Nariko. But then, blithely, he then asks, ]

But what about Rin?

[ SEE. THE WHOLE THING.

Was a trap ]

[Just kill her. It would be so much easier.]

Rin --

[She's desperately trying to think of something she can say without implicating their relationship in any way, but it's difficult to do with the pressure of Masaomi's gaze, with the instinctual knowledge that her father already has her verbally trapped, and she's only delaying the inevitable. But it's pride and fear that force her to keep trying.]

Rin - is -- He's ...

[Come on, come on she can think of something!!! And what's probably most heartbreaking is that for a moment it looks as if she's finally found an answer-]

His kisses are really wet and I don't know if that's normal or not!

[-- Except that answer totally implicates her. In the half second after the words have left her mouth she knows it. She knows she has fucked up.

It's awful.]

[ Um...

Um... Well, that's - ] I'm afraid I don't have a lot of experience with that. But we did used to call him a drool monster when he was young.

[ That said... he hums a little, tilts his head, and then keeps his gaze affixed on her. Was she desperately trying to hide that they had had sex (...) or ...

Oh. Well, that's more likely, isn't it? ]

You've fallen for him.

[... There's no point now, right? He's already got the main gist, so it seems ridiculous to keep expending the effort.]

Dad.

[Junko didn't want to say this without Rin, and she didn't want to deal with her parents separately about the matter either. But here they are.]

He's my mate.

[That goes well beyond the scope of just 'falling' for someone.]

[ Oh, huh... he's not sure if that's better or worse, really? But all the same, that's- ]

I'm really glad you found your mate then, Junko.

[ Sincerely, before anything else, he must say that. He brushes a hand on her cheek as he does ]

[She's completely thrown by this reaction.]

You're not mad?

[Rin's basically twice her age, he's got a dangerous job that doesn't allow him to be around a lot, and she may never meet the pack he's from because there was an idle implication that his pack was also involved in said job. She kind of expected her father to be a little upset about this.]

Oh no. No. I'm deeply concerned and a lot of those other secrets trouble me even more. Not to mention that if you're sneaking in here to tell me and it's not gossip on Audrey's lips, then obviously Nariko doesn't know either. [ Inhale ]

But anyone meeting their mate is a joyous thing, whatever else can be said abut it.

[ But his look is now shifting to stern, because now they must Talk ]

[There's some kind of Sophocles level irony that if she'd just told her dad the truth then he wouldn't have reacted the way she'd been terrified of. But now she's gone and told him stuff she never meant to put out into the light of day, and she has to pay for it.]

Ahh, I see.

[Why can't she ever get one up on her dad.]

... Thank you.

[For at least being happy that she found her mate, even so early on in her life.]

Of course.

[ Inhale... exhale... Be a father. How do you do that? Well, trial and error. ]

That's a mate with a pretty wide age different though.

[ Let's start there. That seems to be the least of the issues in his mind, though he imagines Nariko might not be the same ]

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excited flails

excited flailing back!! although I still have to make dinner so I might be slow once in a while

Hey still I get to bounce off you it's all good

cool cool

I need to make dinner too tbh

dude go make dinner

I'll be chopping the chicken soon

your dinner already sounds way better than mine enjoy it friend

Well basic set up is now done. Basically throwing new chicken with old potatoes+peppers+sauce

definitely better than mac and cheese

Haha it's not that much more flashy but I hope it'll be good.

have faith in chicken ... or something that sounds cooler than that

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