A/N ::dies:: THREE MONTHS LATE?! I am so sorry guys for leaving you for so long. I've had a lot of problems these past weeks (including badly spraining my wrist XD;). It's taken me quite a bit to get back into writing again and this chapter might be a ? I'm having a clean out of everything so look out for that. My muse has done a complete 180 (the annoying thing ). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Male-Order Concubine
By Rabuyuu
Chapter 5 – Meeting the Father
The word 'crap' sums up a situation like this very nicely. So...
Crap, crap, crap, CRAP! And did I mention CRAP?!
I jumped off the sofa so quickly that I tripped over my own feet, going head over heels and ending up staring at a pair of very shiny shoes. Very shiny...I could see my reflection in them, the pins that stuck out at all angles, the pieces of hair that had been gelled until they almost looked like miniature spears on my head.
I looked like an idiot. This was all Keita's fault! He could have told me his father was there but oh no. Let's not help the American boy from making a complete ass of himself. I needed a drink. An expensive one. Stupid age-limits. Hell, I could probably convince some Asian guy I was British and deserved a drink—did that work? Then again I don't think Mr. J is going to be letting me out of his sight anytime soon.
There was a polite cough somewhere above me and I looked up, blinking at a pair of eyes that were dark enough that they had to be Asian. God. Well...this was definitely Keita's dad then.
I jumped up, leaning on the table to hoist myself up so I wouldn't risk falling over again. There was no way I was going to land on my butt again today. The poor thing had been so abused lately. I was going to need so many years of therapy after this...
"You must be Mr. Keita!" Oh shit...wait... "I mean Mr. Hideko! Hi!" I grabbed his limp hand, shaking it vigorously as he simply stared at me.
...Was I missing something here? I had to be. Was my make-up smudged? (God I did not just think that...)
Everyone stared at me like I was some sort of animal on display at the zoo. It wasn't nice. At all. So I decided to glare at Keita just to even things out. He merely rolled his eyes but blushed at the same time. Can someone be annoyed and embarrassed at the same time? It was interesting.
"You must be McGarret's son," I shook my head and he seemed confused for a minute before I clarified.
"I've disowned him." In fact, as far as I was considered McGarret Sr. had never existed. He was going to pay so badly for this...when was the new PS3 coming out? I wanted it two whole months before it came out onto the shelves...
He stared for a few more moments before abruptly laughing. It was one of those full-bellied ones that belted out, startling everyone in the room – with the exception of Mr. J who couldn't be moved it seemed – until it finally passed.
He clapped me on the shoulder, wiping at his eyes with a handkerchief that seemed to appear from nowhere. He shook me slightly before letting go, making me almost pitch forward before I steadied myself. Damn these heels.
"That's my lad!" He proclaimed. I stared at where his hand had been the bunched up the material of my dress and opened my mouth to ask him why he'd had me put a dress on when he was just going to ruin it anyway. Not that it wasn't ruined already but still. It was the principle of the matter!
"Better to get rid of the dead weight right off!" No truer words have ever been spoken. So...when am I leaving? "And how are you liking Japan so far?"
Who said anything about 'liking' Japan in the first place? How could I reply?
'Yeah, this place? It hate it. The damn country makes me itch. Although your house is fucking amazing. All the huge windows and the white and...well, everything. I mean, our house was big but yours is...well its...fucking, massive! Totally and utterly mind blowingly massive. Stupidly massive. But Japan? It sucks. It's hot and you can't even get a fucking tan here because of the stupidly tall buildings. So...take me home damn it!'
...Maybe not.
Keita would probably faint from the use of my coarse language...On second thoughts that might actually be kind of funny...
"...Mr. McGarret?"
I jerked, almost falling in my heels again until Mr. J grabbed hold of my arm, balancing me again. Wait...where did he come from? He just...always seemed to be there in a not-so-slightly-disturbing sort of way. I wondered if he was ever going to leave my side whilst I was here...
I looked at him over my shoulder but he was as emotionless as always so I turned back to...ah… 'Mr. Hideko', who was actually shorter than me. Ha. Sucks to be Asian. Wait...that's not exactly politically correct is it?
Screw it.
"Ah...yeah?"
"I told you Father," a quiet voice suddenly said, speaking up for the first time since his dad had come into the scene. Keita was doing the whole blushing thing again, although his back was impossibly straighter – if that could even happen – and just minutes ago he'd been pulling at his shirt trying to pull some nonexistent creases out of it.
I snorted. Perfectionist.
"Told me what?" Keita's father asked, turning to him instead of me.
My fiancé – shit I was not going to start saying that – took a deep breath before continuing, pointing right at me. "I cannot possibly marry him!"
What? That was my line! Maybe not quite like that but still. More along the lines of – "There is no way in hell I'm marrying this geek!" Dad was in for a lot of trouble when I finally got back on that plane. Have I mentioned that already? Because he was. If he'd moved anything in my bedroom he was going to pay for it two-times over. Hell, three times over.
Keita's dad was staring at us again, doing the whole 'I'm your father I know best' thing. He rubbed his chin, giving out these deep 'humming' noises before finally clapping his hands.
Me and Keita – wait, Keita and I – jumped and Keita's dad gave another one of his strange laughs before coughing and cutting it off.
"I'm sure you'll grow to love each other." Not in this century. Or any other. "You just need some time together." Like I said – not going to happen. Ever.
Keita seemed to think the same, "But Father, I cannot possibly condone Alexander's staying in..."
"So you're already on a first name basis with each other? That's splendid!" Keita blushed – when did he not? – rapidly shaking his head. God, I forgot about how Japanese people called each other by their surnames. Wait...but Keita wouldn't. And he kept on calling me Alexander...
What?
"No, no! It is not like that, Father. I simply..."
"Simply, nothing! I find it wonderful that you call each by your first names. Now, why don't you go show Alexander his rooms?"
I was tempted to interrupt here. I mean, my name's Alec, not Alexander. Hell, I don't even like Alexander; everyone knows that. It's horrible. And it seemed like everyone was going to call me it here. It made me wish for America and my palm Orange County beaches.
Man, that just sucked. I bet they don't have any beaches for miles. Just skyscrapers and how were they good for a tan? Heck, they cut the sun off.
But yeah, about the name. There was once a guy who'd called me Alexander – just to annoy me. I'd punched him so hard all his teeth had fallen out and we'd called him 'Toothless Gin' for the rest of his school life. Not the most original thing in the world but the thing was it stuck. Like glue—only worse. I'd laughed in his face right after his teeth had all fallen out. That'd teach him to pick on me.
"Alexander? Are you coming?" I blinked, looking sideways at where Keita was stood by the door, staring at me impatiently.
As soon as I looked over he averted his gaze, like always. I didn't see the big deal – or maybe it was the make-up? I mean, the girls back home had all but plastered the stupid stuff on my face. I'd thought it would melt on the plane when it got hot and I could just rub it all off but it had stubbornly stayed on.
"Ah...where're we going?"
Keita gave a breath of exasperation, opening the door and attempting to sweep me through with his arm. Mr. J was standing on the other side of the door, looking around the corridor. Probably checking for danger or something. What kind of danger he expected in here when we'd already seen the security I don't know.
"We are going to see your rooms."
Now, that sounded promising. This place was rich right? So they could probably afford to have state-of-the-art equipment in every room. And Japan was already ahead in everything so it was like a triple deal! I could just sit down and play video games until Mr. Hideko finally realized that keeping an American against his will wasn't the best of ideas.
Then I'd be home free.
"Well, what're you waiting for? Let's go!"
I could hear Keita gritting his teeth as we left together and I had to fight not to laugh. He was so easy to rile up.
We walked for a while, Mr. J having a stoop whilst one of my...ah...pins just brushed the ceiling as we passed. I blinked.
"The ceilings here are really close, aren't they? Then again I guess that suits you doesn't it?" I asked, knowing that mentioning his height was going to annoy him. And get some conversation going. It was damned quiet here, I mean, my footsteps were actually echoing it was that quiet.
"This house was designed by my father's father's great-grandfather and has been within my family for generations. You would be wise to not speak ill of it Alexander."
"Hey, I didn't ask for a history lesson!"
"And you are not getting one. I am simply—"
"Telling me your life story."
"I was not! I was giving you some information that you may find useful later on."
"Whatever small fry, just keep on walking."
His shoulders tensed as he moved in front of me instead of next to me, walking with determined strides as if trying to get away but knowing that he couldn't. It was...very amusing.
While he was walking in front of us – giving me this strange sense of déjà vu – I turned towards Mr. J who was being as silent as always. He was a little behind me and to the right so I had to crane my head over my neck to see the glinting sunglasses that he still wore even inside the house.
"So, what do you think?"
"What does Master McGarret mean?"
"Of the house?"
"What about the house Master McGarret?"
I rolled my eyes. It was like talking to a brick wall – only worse because you didn't get stupid replies from a brick wall.
"What do you think of – this?" I said, gesturing around at the walls.
"Define what you refer to as 'this' Master McGarret?"
...He was going to kill me with this 'Master McGarret' crap.
"This place. And call me Alec."
He didn't. It probably wasn't programmed into his brain to call me 'Alec' or something. Then again, he called Mr. Hideko 'Master' as well so it wasn't just me.
"I think...you will learn to like it here Master McGarret, and thats is all I can say on the matter."
Like hell—on both accounts.
I had to find a way out of this mess. And now. Or I was going to end up spending the rest of my days wearing a fucking dress!