Iida led the way to the dining hall, where they were met by the rest of the family approaching their seats. The hall was elegantly decorated and went on for what seemed like forever. The table was made of perfectly glazed wood, and the chairs matched with velvet cushions.
"L/n! I'm so glad you decided to join us tonight!" His mother greeted her.
"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Iida."
"Oh of course! You're welcome anytime l/n." Y/n smiled in return with a thank you, "Please, sit, sit!" She gestured to any available seat. She sat next to Iida due to her being the most comfortable with him.
Without announcement, the hall doors opened with a handful of servers with silver trays of food. Y/n's eyes widened dramatically, the culture shock hitting her like a truck. Her common and comfortable ways definitely not being used to being served in such a manner. She leaned over to Iida and whispered, "Is this how you guys are served all the time?"
"Yes, it is."
"Interesting..."
"Indeed."
When the food was placed on the table, the covers were lifted to reveal a meal fit for a king. Tensei noticed her shock and smiled, "Not used to this, are you?"
She shook her head, "Not at all. At home, we just leave the food on the stove and take it when we want."
Iida chimed in, "I can confirm."
"It takes a bit to get used to, don't worry," Tensei assured as he reached for food, "Well don't be shy..."
Y/n reached for what she wanted and placed them on her plate. Carefully, she took a bite and was immediately hit with a world of flavor. Sure, she's had it before, but not like this. Her mom made it every now and then, and it was really good - but the way these chefs prepared it was outstanding.
Iida noticed her shock and smiled as he ate, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Y/n and the family ate together and indulged, making conversation as the minutes passed and getting to know each other with every second.
Y/n's worries from earlier melted away, and she ate as she pleased, wanting to try each thing that was made. Eventually, she got full and placed her utensils down, "That was really good..."
"I'm glad you liked it!" His mother smiled.
Like it was staged, the servants came back to collect the dishes like it was a restaurant. But unlike a restaurant, there wasn't dessert - Y/n being secretly pleased even though she was curious as to how good they would be. She followed them to the living room, keeping by Iida's side.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked
"Yeah... thank you."
"You're welcome L/n."
She was silent for a second, but spoke up again, "Sorry for earlier."
"Don't be sorry, l/n. We all have moments like these, so it's only natural."
"But it was pretty uncalled for..."
"Things like these happen, and the least I can do is help."
She thought about it for a second and smiled at his unconditional caring, "Thank you, Iida."
"You're welcome, l/n. I'll always be here if you need anything."
"The same to you."
Back in the elegant living room, everybody took their seats and conversation naturally commenced.
"So, how is this partner project going?" Iida's father asked.
She let Iida take the lead, "I would say it's going well."
"How so?"
"We have been keeping up with logs," Iida looked at y/n when he said that, making her feel slightly offended, "And personally, I feel the theory behind it is slowly being proved correct."
"Sounds like it is going well!"
Y/n thought about what Iida had said about the theory - the part of the project she honestly had forgotten all about. "He said he thinks it's being proved... does that mean he's being domesticated, or am I getting more proper?"
While the rest of them continued to talk, Y/n observed and contributed when she was addressed. She got more comfortable with the family the more that Iida and her spent time together, but continued to keep sweet - especially around his parents. Around her project partner, though, she acted more like herself, giving up on the act knowing they were stuck together. Although y/n didn't want to, she had to admit, he was keeping her on top of her school work, which really helped her grades.
Eventually, it started to get late, "It's great being here, but I should probably get home soon."
"Nonsense, stay the night!" His mother exclaimed, suddenly getting excited.
"I couldn't! I don't have any of my stuff with me and-"
"We have extras, no need to worry!"
She thought about it, "I guess it couldn't hurt to ask..."
"Ask away!" His mom seemed much more excited than she was. Y/n was excited though, but not as much as she was nervous. She excused herself out of the room and called her mom, who was easy to say yes.
"She said it's ok if I stay."
"Perfect!" His mother stood up from the lush seat, "I'll let service know so they can provide you with what you need!"
"Thank you, Mrs. Iida."
"Anytime, hun!"
Y/n took her seat from before and looked at the floor in shock. Tensei, being good at reading people, noticed, "She can be a lot,"
"Yeah... My mom's not too different from her,"
"Is she?"
"Mhm. The first time I told her Iida was coming over, she freaked and immediately prepared the house," She smiled.
"Yup, that sounds... Quite familiar!"
"She seems like she cares though."
"She does," Tensei smiled, "Always provides for anybody, even if they don't need it." Y/n felt comfortable with Tensei, kind of like the brother she never had. He was easy to talk to and he always understood the topic at hand. "But honestly, do you have any idea what you're in for tonight?"
"No, why?"
"My mom loves girl talk," Y/n's eyes widened in curiosity, "Whenever I had a girlfriend over, they'd talk for hours and I always fell asleep before she came back."
"Huh... Sounds fun."
"Not to me," he laughed.
Sitting beside them, Iida chimed in, "Doesn't sound fun to me either..."
The three of them continued to talk for a while until their mother came back, "They've got everything ready! L/n, I'll show you to the guest room you'll be in!"
She turned to the two brothers, "Wish me luck," She whispered. Tensei saluted her off, and his younger brother nodded, both smiling.
"I'm so excited to have you over tonight, l/n," She led the way.
"Me too, thank you again."
"Of course! You and Tenya have been getting along so well recently, I couldn't help but get you two even closer."
"Closer?"
"Yeah!"
Y/n was heavily confused, "Meaning...?"
"Well, closer...! Because I mean, Valentine's is coming up and-"
"Oh shi... shoot," She almost slipped, "Valentine's... forgot about that."
"Anybody caught your eye?"
"Oh, uh, not really," she whipped up a white lie, not being prepared for this question, "I haven't paid much attention to relationships lately."
"Come on, there's got to be somebody! I know when I was your age, Boys were all I could think about."
"I don't know, the project has consumed a lot of time."
Mrs. Iida hummed in assurance, "Alright, here we are. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask!" She welcomed her inside, Y/n was stunned by the elegance of the simple guest room, "I'll let you change out of your clothes, I'll be down the hall and to the left - Double doors with gold handles."
"Thank you, Mrs. Iida."
"You're welcome, L/n!" She closed the door behind her, letting Y/n explore the room. The bed was perfectly made, with pink silk pajamas folded on top just for her. The further she investigated, the more she found - Like a full bathroom connected to the room. Figuring she would search for more later, she changed out of her clothes into the irresistibly comfortable pajamas. "This shit's nice, I gotta say." She looked into the nearest mirror, "Doesn't look too bad either... How did she know my size?"
Before Y/n could get too comfortable, there was a knock at her door, "Yeah?" It opened, only a bit.
"It's Tensei."
"Come in," She allowed, and he walked in.
"Everything good in here so far?"
"More than good, this room is hella nice."
"Good," He nodded, "What did you get from my mom so far?"
"Valentine's Day."
"Oh... rough one."
"Yeah, and get this. She mentioned her being excited to have me over so me and your brother could get closer."
"Mom..." He grieved, "She's trying to set you two up."
"Evidently."
"I'll talk to her about that."
"Eh, it's alright, you don't have to."
Tensei smirked, thinking quickly on his feet, "So you don't mind my mother setting you up with my brother...?"
Y/n came to realize what she had just set herself up for, "UH, well-" She panicked, "Not like he's not nice, your brother is very nice! I just-"
"I'm just teasing you!" He laughed, "No pressure, but if you are into my brother, come to me - I'll help."
Y/n's face flushed with embarrassment, "You're insufferable."
"Oh! Big words!"
"Shut up!"
He laughed and headed towards the door, "Alright, alright, I'll leave you be," Just before he was out of the room he spoke again, "But seriously, I'll help you if you are into him."
"Dude!" She charged toward the door and he quickly closed it to avoid getting killed. "He's ridiculous! There's no way I could fall for Iida, he's just a project partner, not my LIFE partner!" She basked in the thought, "He's not BAD looking, just- Ugh, who am I kidding, his genes are flawless!" Y/n jumped onto the white bed and groaned into the mattress.
There was another knock at the door, "Tensei, I don't wanna hear it!" She muffled into the bed.
"What was my son doing?" Y/n got up to see Mrs. Iida coming through her door.
"Nothing, just being ridiculous."
"Ah, don't mind him." She waved off, "You enjoying yourself?"
"Yeah, this room is really nice."
"I'm glad!" She sat on the bed next to Y/n, "Back to my question before - Are you sure nobody's caught your eye?"
"I'm pretty sure. That project has left no time for searching."
"That damn project," She pouted, "leaves no room for fun!"
"I mean, it's not completely boring..." Y/n led on, "It's been interesting hanging out with somebody new."
"Tenya wasn't boring you with studying?"
"Sometimes, but I'm a pretty good distraction."
"I bet you are! With your looks, I'm sure he doesn't mind being distracted!"
"HUH?" She was taken aback, "I'm nothing special, but I meant I distract by how much I talk!"
"Well, that too, but you're beautiful! It's easy to get distracted!"
"You don't have to be nice..."
"I'm just telling the truth l/n, I saw the way Tenya looks at you sometimes..."
"What do you mean? No, he doesn't."
"I'm a mother, I notice everything."
Y/n tried to think of when he looked at her, but all that was coming up was when they were talking. "I think you're lying."
"No, you just haven't noticed it," she looked at y/n knowingly, "Every now and then, try and look at him. You might just catch it."
"Alright, but I don't think I will..."
"Trust me."
"Ok, ok. I'll try it out."
They talked for a little while longer, but at one point, they realized how late it was getting, "Well, hate to cut this short, l/n, but it's getting late."
Y/n checked the time on her phone, "Damn, it is," She yawned, "Didn't even realize."
"Neither did I!" Mrs. Iida got up from the bed, "But this was fun."
"It was!"
"Good night, L/n. Sleep well!"
"You too, Mrs. Iida. Good night!"
Y/n stretched and flicked off the light and got into bed. She let the soft feather pillow cradle her head and calm her thoughts, easily falling asleep.
1955 words