Haru’s Love (A Stepbrothers BL Harem) - Chapter 44

I was still seething and my face flushing hot from embarrassment when Mason sat down on the futon beside me.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said as I lifted the back of my hand to my lips.

Mason caught my wrist. “What are you doing?”

“Cleaning away the lipstick,” I said.

He looked troubled for a moment. He said, “You’ll…dirty the expensive kimono.”

Shit! He was right. I might accidentally rub my lips against the kimono and stupid Isaac would be pissed with me.

“Tissue,” I said, looking around the room for signs of one. But of course, there was none.

I scrambled up, but Mason caught me again and asked, “Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom to clean my face and take off this kimono,” I said.

“Before that, can we talk?” he asked.

I guessed he wanted to calm me down, which was so Mason, the peacemaker of the family.

I obediently sat. “Okay.”

He chuckled. “That’s our Haru.” He ruffled my hair, his hand warm on my head.

“So you’re upset with Isaac?”

I nodded. “I wasn’t before, but now I am. I was going along with him, thinking it’d be over and done with in five minutes, but that stupid guy just has to go and want to show this”—I pointed to myself—“to everyone. Does he have any idea how embarrassing this is? Like I’m a guy and wearing this is…”

“But you do know Isaac likes playing dress-up, right?” Mason asked.

I nodded. “Yes, I know that.”

“And that it makes him happy when he gets the chance, which he rarely does because he doesn’t want us to find out about his fetish.”

I flicked my gaze to Mason. What was this gorgeous stepbrother of mine going on about? Was it just me or was he making me feel like I was the one in the wrong?

“Mason?” I said, staring at him. “Are you guilt-tripping me?”

He chuckled. “Like I’d do that to you.” He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand gently, which caused this warm, pleasant sensation to rush through me.

“You’re just adorable. But seriously, why not go along with Isaac once in a while? It’ll make him happy. Right now, he’s pissing himself in fear that you’ll never be his little brother again. You know how sensitive he is, and you know how much he loves you as a brother. When we were young, he always told everyone how much he wanted a younger brother, and when you came along, he was very happy and kept bragging about you to everyone.”

I sighed. Fuck, it was either I was way too soft or that Mason was damn good at swaying my opinion.

He continued. “I bet he just wants to take a few pictures of you, correct?”

I nodded.

“Then why not indulge him occasionally?”

I supposed Mason was right. As his bro, I should indulge Isaac occasionally.

“Okay.”

Mason ruffled my hair again. “Good boy.”

With a hot face, I followed Mason out the door and then toward the living room. There, I stepped forward and said, “Isaac?”

Isaac was sitting on the tatami mat with the others, and he looked damn depressed.

I said, “Do you still want to take pictures of me in this?”

He brightened up immediately. “Really, Haru?”

I nodded.

“Yay!” He threw the cards in his hands in the air and rushed over to me. With his arms around me tight, he said, “I’m so sorry, okay, Haru? Please let me sleep in the room with you tonight.”

I smiled. “Of course.”

Then I heard sucking in of breaths, and I turned my attention to everyone else. I had been avoiding looking at them simply because I was fucking embarrassed about wearing the kimono. Now that I finally did, I realized that they, Aiden included, were looking at me way too intensely, like they were mesmerized or something. Weird.

Isaac said, “I’ll get my phone, and then we can take photos, okay?” Then he was gone.

I was just turning on my heel to head back into the bedroom when Reo said, “I never thought I’d see the day when my little brother was turned into a little sister. Mom is probably smiling in her grave.”

“What are you going on about, Reo? I haven’t turned into your little sister. I’m just wearing a kimono.”

“Well, you do look like one,” he said.

“Like what?” I asked.

“The Shrine Maiden,” he said as he got up from his seat and came to me. Standing right in front of me, he continued softly. “I’m actually quite worried for your welfare, Haru.” He flicked his gaze to the side, to where Aiden, Noah, and Mason were sitting, still looking at me. More quietly, he said, “I’m afraid our stepbrothers will go crazy over you, what with how you’re looking now.”

Did he just say stepbrothers? As in plural? What was he talking about? Our stepbrothers going crazy over me? Seriously. Reo must be joking around to get at me again.

He raised his smartphone and then… Snap, snap, snap.

I widened my eyes. I knew it. He was saying that to get me confused so he could take the opportunity to take photos of me to taunt me later.

“You didn’t?”

Reo chuckled. “Relax. It’s for Mom. I’ll be showing her this the next time we visit our parents’ graves.”

Isaac returned and said, “I got it, my smartphone. Let’s get started.”

I was hoping it was a five-minute thing, and with the photos being taken in the bedroom, but it ended up being in the living room, with not just Isaac present, but the others as well.

Strangely enough, Aiden was very quiet as he sat there, watching me. Noah and Mason as well. While Isaac was busy taking photos of me, Connor took the opportunity to snap some, too. When he saw me staring at him sharply, he said, “I won’t show them to anyone, Haru. If anyone sees, I’ll just tell them it’s a pretty Japanese girl I met back in Japan.”

Isaac turned to Connor and ordered, “Delete those, Connor. You’re not allowed to take pictures of my cute Haru. Only I have that honor.”

Noah said, “Don’t be such an ass, Isaac. You’re not the only one allowed to have fun.” He pulled out his smartphone and started taking photos of me as well.

Aiden chuckled. “A pretty Japanese girl, eh?” he said as he, too, took out his smartphone and did the same.

Mason followed suit, and I said, “Oy! What are you guys doing? Don’t even think about using those pictures to blackmail me, you hear?”

Mason laughed. “We won’t, promise.” Then snap, snap, snap.

In the end, it wasn’t just five minutes. It was a good half an hour of photo taking, and by then, I had had enough of the silly situation and got up from my sitting position. I marched out the door as I undid the kimono at the same time.

Reo laughed. “He’s that pissed that he’s stripping before he even gets to his room.”

“Shut up, Reo,” I said.

Once I had washed my face, taken off the kimono, and put the yukata back on, I settled on the futon and sighed. Damn, I was tired. I was just about to close my eyes and sleep when I heard the door slide open and then close again.

“Haru?” It was Isaac’s voice.

“Hmm?”

He came and lay on the futon beside me. “Thanks for being a good sport.” He chuckled.

Gosh, but he sounded happy, didn’t he?

“It’s okay,” I said. “Good night.”

“Yeah, good night,” he replied.

I turned over and then shut my eyes, falling asleep in an instant. When I next woke up, it was to the sound of Isaac talking in his sleep, which I found amusing. I rose, leaned across, and pinched his nose, just to see if he’d wake up or shut up.

He didn’t wake, nor did he shut up. Rather, he brushed my hand away and then continued mumbling about how good sushi was. I chuckled.

I got up and headed into the living room to get myself a bottle of water, since the fridge was there. It was dark, so I switched on the light.

The moment light flooded the room, I jumped in surprise at seeing a figure sitting by the window.

It was Noah and he had a dark expression on his face.

I said, “Noah, what are you doing staying up so late? Or rather early in the morning.”

I expected him to respond with either a “go back to bed, Haru” or “mind your own business,” but he just sat there, looking at me, his eyes dark, which worried me.

“No…Noah?”

Noah raised his hand in the air, as if inviting me to him. “It’s onii-chan,” he said softly. “Say it. Onii-chan.”

What the heck was wrong with Noah? Why was he behaving like that? It was strange.

“I just want a bottle of water,” I said, avoiding making eye contact with him. Damn, but he still had his hand reached out to me. Did he still want me to come over to him?

“Onii-chan,” he said persistently.

I sighed. Shit, but I sucked at refusing any sort of request from my brothers.

I licked my lips and said, “Onii-chan.”

I saw Noah’s lips form a slight smile. He said, “Come here, Haru.”

Strange. He wasn’t shooing me away like he usually did when he wanted time alone.

I moved my feet and went to sit in front of him.

“Closer,” he said.

I did that, too, and once I was within his arm’s reach, he caught me and made me turn around. I ended up being hugged from behind, with Noah’s arms tight around me and his head against mine as he nuzzled his nose against my hair.

“You smell good,” he said. “Sweet, like spring flowers.”

“It’s because of the hotel’s shampoo,” I said.

“Remember when you were young, you’d ask me to hug you?”

Why was he bringing that up now? I wondered.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks at the reminder. Since Mom and Dad had always been so busy with work, one of them—Aiden, Noah, Reo, or Mason—would babysit me and Isaac. They’d usually swap turns so they could have time to hang out with their friends or do whatever they wanted. Usually, at least once a week, I believed it was a Thursday, it’d be Noah’s turn. While he did his homework, I’d sit quietly beside him doing my own. Isaac, of course, would be watching a show on TV.

Noah had always been diligent, which explained why he had such good grades at school.

Usually before bedtime, Noah would read us a storybook, and I’d always be the one sitting on his lap while Isaac sat on the floor, listening. Then I’d ask Noah to hug me until I fell asleep. But of course, that had been a long time ago.

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded my head. “I remember.”

Noah tightened his arms around me. “You don’t do that anymore. Why?”

What does he mean why?

“Because I’m an adult now,” I said logically.

“It’s lonely,” he said. “After Mom and Dad passed away, it’s lonely.”

I flicked my gaze to look at him and noted that the expression on his face was one of sadness. My heart ached for him. I see. Noah had been dealing with his own demons all this time, despite his seemingly strong exterior.

We all had been dealing with our own demons in these past years since Mom and Dad passed away.

I reached my hand out and stroked his hair, since I didn’t know what to say. Suddenly, he shifted his gaze to me, and the intense, passionate look in his eyes made my heart race and my body tense.

What was that look? Why was he staring at me like that? Like he…wanted to eat me up or something? He had the same look as Aiden when Aiden wanted to fuck me.

I closed my eyes, refusing to analyze the expression on Noah’s face any further.

Don’t. Just don’t think about it. No way the look in Noah’s eyes meant anything. He was just feeling lonely and…

I felt myself being shifted around. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in Noah’s arms with my head resting against his chest.

“Why don’t we sleep like this?” he said.

“Like this?” I asked. “But it’s cold out here and it’s not comfortable for you.” He was sitting and resting back against the wall.

“It’s warm enough with our body heat,” he said. “And I’m fine like this.”

I raised my gaze to look at him, noting how dark the expression on his face was.

He looked…desperate.

I felt my heart wrenching in that painful way again. I had never seen Noah like this before. This would be the first time I ever witnessed his vulnerable side.

I nodded. “Okay.” And just to please him, I said, “Onii-chan.”

That got him tightening his arms around me. Then I felt his lips on my head.

Did Noah just kiss me on the head? He hadn’t done that for a long time, since after our parents died, in fact.

“Good night, onii-chan,” I said, even though it was three in the morning already.

“Good night, Haru,” he replied.

It was cold at first, but it soon got warm in Noah’s arms, and I fell asleep.