𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐏𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝗷𝘂𝗷𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘂 𝗸𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗻

°⌜ 𝟎𝟓 ⌟°

This selflessness shatters the walls Geto had carefully built to keep people at a distance. Suddenly, you become more than a distant acquaintance. The involuntary concern for your well-being takes root, evolving into a genuine care that defies the norms of his carefully constructed life.

As others perceived them, improper feelings began to bloom within him.

As a master of emotional concealment, Geto is adept at masking his true feelings, especially the ones deemed inappropriate.

He must appear calm, collected, and impervious to the emotional turmoil. Yet, the unconventional emotions you inspire threaten to breach the composed façade he presents.

Dressed in a crisply pressed kimono, his black hair elegantly tied back, and the usual cascade of loose left-sided bangs tamed, he cuts a look of composed elegance.

Lips pursed and fingers clutching his robe unconsciously, his onyx gaze fixates on the tray you carefully place on a low wooden table. Your hand moves deliberately, pouring hot tea into porcelain cups. As you work, you gently pull back the long sleeve of your dark green kimono, ensuring it stays clear of the cups.

The weight of his gaze suggests that more than a casual tea ceremony is at stake; it's as if their entire future hinges on the success of this meeting.

It does. Desperately.

Yet, even the slightest mishap sends him into a silent panic. His nerves would flare up like a live wire, tensioning as he navigates the delicate dance of formality with his parents.

But with finesse, you present the filled cups to Geto's parents.

However, his father remains impassive, offering no acknowledgment, while even his mother's usual bland smile seems to elude her on this occasion. A dry happiness fails to reach her onyx irises.

Seating yourself alongside Geto, you bow your head courteously to his parents.

The air is heavy with the unspoken formality always accompanying encounters with his parents.

More wary than usual, Geto tends to avoid such instances, his parents capable of inducing fear even without uttering a word.

While it is not a need but a desire for their approval, it lingers as a desperate hope for relief from the fear of disappointing them.

His mother breaks the silence with a gentle swallow before addressing her son directly. "When have these feelings extended beyond the boundaries of friendship, Suguru?"

In an attempt to hide his nervousness, Geto stiffens his shoulders.

His tone is firm. "The moment I realize that when I don't see him, I think about him. When he cries, my heart shatters. When he smiles, my mood lightens up. When he is hurt, I get worried. That is when I started liking him not as a friend but as a man."

His mother, eyes shut, opens them slowly, revealing long black lashes. "You know this relationship is improper within our family. But, I shall understand that you both are too young to grasp the concept of love properly, so I believe you have mistaken this form of sensation as the youth's curiosity to fulfill these lustful urges. Sorry, Renzuko, Suguru, we cannot give you our blessing to continue."

The rejection, though anticipated, has its sting.

Geto braced himself for the aftermath, hoping his far worse fears remained safely tucked away.

If he had to choose between his parents and you -- there was only one obvious answer.

"I didn't come here to ask for your permission," Geto asserts, his voice firm but laced with an underlying truth. "I only gave you this formality to inform you of my relationship with [Name] as a courtesy of you both being my parents. You are mistaken if you believe these feelings will make me abandon my duty as your son."