Now halfway turned away from her to begin his own half of the dinner prep, Rinâs mouth curls into a pleased smile when he feels Shiemiâs hip bump against his own. He relishes every touch he gets and gives â there is no such thing as too much. By the time he could think of any reaction, though, she has turned away, and so he directs his attention back to what heâs doing, getting the ground beef out of its packaging and forming the patties, then seasoning them while he listens to Shiemi relay her experiences.
The happy expression wanes rather quickly as he does so â he doesnât like it one bit, that Shiemi had to work so hard she didnât even have time to take a leisure walk in the past two weeks. The more he listens, the deeper the frown heâs wearing. âYou do have a few days off now, right?â he asks, his voice pointed. If the answer is unfavourable, people are going to be yelled at â and you really donât want this particular half-demon yelling at you for mistreating his wife, whether you are an administrator at True Cross, or the chairman himself. âAt least a weekend?â
Not that Rin himself will be able to stay home with her even if she does, but heâd be content enough just knowing she can gather a bit of energy back. And at least he doesnât have any long missions right now (unless some kind of emergency comes up, but heâll cross all fingers), so they can at least spend the next few evenings together. The thought is enough to soften his expression by the time heâs slapping the patties into the frying pan.
âYou did?â The news is surprising enough to make him turn, pan full of meat still in his hand. On his face now is a mixture of surprise, and⊠longing. He has to remind himself to keep his voice down still, and he spends a few moments just listening to Junouâs steady breathing, then turning back to the stove and lighting the flames with a wave of a finger. âFiguresâŠâ he sighs.
Really, itâs not as if he has to be offended or upset in Shiemiâs stead, when she doesnât seem all that bothered by the whole thing. But Rin thinks of himself in the same position, and heâs a little irked that his brother didnât even text her. A moment later, he has to remind himself that Yukio likely didnât know Shiemi would be there, either. Donât be unreasonable, he tells himself. If you want him to text, text him first. They arenât teenagers anymore, and â for the most part â Rin no longer has to second-guess his brotherâs sentiments about their family and its importance. It is simply that he is a notorious overworker who doesnât know how to take a break â a stubborn jerk, Rin amends in thought â and he most definitely cannot read his twinâs thoughts, even if the two of them are connected in more ways than your average human brothers ought to be.
âHereâs what we should do,â he says in the end, glancing sideways at her, now looking vaguely apologetic about his sudden sour mood, and hoping he didnât ruin hers entirely. âFigure out his schedule, find a day in the foreseeable future when weâre all off â or if there isnât one, make it happen. And have him over here with us for a bit of family time, âcause itâs been ages.â
The last word is said with perhaps a little too much emphasis, because he can hear Junou stir a little bit on his back. As the pan goes back onto the fire, Rin turns his head to nuzzle the child a little, his face taking on an entirely different, special kind of softness that is only reserved for his son. âShh, go back to sleep. Weâre right here,â he says in his other language; to the human ear, it is a series of low, guttural, soothing murmurs.
âI have tomorrow off. â Shiemi confirms, looking up for a moment. âAnd all of this weekend, too.â This excursion definitely took up a longer stretch of time than she was used to doing for work, but she was thankful that her position within the order had allowed her to return full time like this, after sheâd taken a considerable break to care for Junou. At that time, Rin had taken on more and more hours, and she hadnât been fond of how exhausted it had made him. Their current situation certainly wasnât perfect and required a lot of sacrifice at times, but between the both of them, they were able to provide a comfortable lifestyle for their small family.
His reaction, and the verbal response that follows is something Shiemi should have expected, honestly. The two of them have been together long enough that the tamer can recognize the sudden shift in mood almost immediately. Part of her was secretly hoping that the two of them had gotten a chance to connect in the meantime, though in hindsight, she knows that is not at all like Yukio to do. Shiemi approaches Rin then, the plate of chopped vegetables in hand, and the other reaching for him. With their son resting peacefully at his back, her fingertips settle instead for the flat of his shoulder - as such, the resulting touch is meant to be comforting, but light, not wanting to distract too much from what he was doing.
âI donât think he knew.â Shiemi says, quieting a bit as she recalls the palpable surprise that had surfaced on the dragoonâs face, upon spotting her. âBut⊠ he also wasnât slated to participate with my group?â She continues, as if to affirm that she was not aware of his being there, either. However, admitting it aloud like that brings its own level of concern, something sheâd pushed down while she was busy working.  It wasnât as though the secrecy with him was really that out of the ordinary, but the feeling had been amplified with how tight-lipped Yukio had gotten in regard to how their chance meeting was possible. âI really hope heâs not wrapped up into something dangerous.â
Still, that slightly worried expression doesnât last too long, not with the suggestion that they try to find time to all come together for dinner, and it shows in how widely she smiles. âThat would be a lot of fun.â With that admission, Shiemi is chuckling. âBut, he might not appreciate it if we pry too muchâŠâ The look she gives her husband next is a knowing one, as if quietly suggesting another method.  Though with that, her excitement turns thoughtful, as she is trying to recall exactly when it was that theyâd all been able to get together like that. Rin has said ages, and it certainly does feel that way, to be honest. âMm, how long has it been..? Since we celebrated your birthday?â
However, that series of recollection is stalled with how Junou begins to stir a little, and Shiemi watches quietly as Rin is able to soothe him with minimal effort. That action alone returns her to a prior thought, and perhaps straying from work related talk would be for the best, for now. âAh, but... how were things for you?â The tamer turns away for just a second, long enough to place the knife she was using in the sink. âIâm really sorry that everything got dumped into your lap like it was, but I hope you two had some fun together?âÂ
