Finally, after taking our sweet time walking around town and getting everything from the checklist, Lem and I returned home safely. Just as we entered, a thought occurred to me—It would be rather awkward to explain to everyone in the house that we're technically dating. Right, mama didn't let us even be left alone in the same room for the past week because of what happened, and dad kept leading Lem away for solo talks, presumably to scare him off or something. I don't have time to tell Lem to keep his mouth shut, though I doubt he'd try anything that stupid himsel-
"I did it! Nelly and I are dating!" Lem raised both shopping bags triumphantly in the air as he announced to everyone in the room.
"Crap! You have a deathwish or something!?" I yelped.
"You...?" Dad paused for an unbearably long while before asking, "You're... dating Nelly?"
"Wait, the hell did he say just now?" Othelia couldn't believe her ears.
"It's gotta be another joke." Auntie Eleanor sighed disappointedly as she played with an aloof Cene.
"He's dating Nelly." Issei repeated for them.
"That's what he said." Mama giggled.
"He did it!" Dad practically jumped from his armchair to celebrate, "Woo! Let's go, king! Up high!"
"Eh?" I stood next to them confused, "You're not mad?"
"He followed my advice, I'd rather call myself proud." Dad patted him on the back, "I thought for sure he was gonna lose heart after that failure of a confession immediately in the morning following that incident, but he stuck to his guns and made the most of it."
"Congratulations, sir." Issei gave him an overly businessman-like handshake, "Welcome to the not single club. Great to have you."
"What ever happened to your Chris Hansen impression?" Dad raised an Eyebrow.
"As long as there's love, age doesn't matter." Issei replied with a rather scary quote.
"He would never say that!"
"How the hell would you know!? You never watched the show!"
"We did, jackass! On your parents' TV!"
Wahh, I don't even know what's going on anymore...! Why is everyone happy and not livid? Were they expecting this? Am I the only one not in the loop? Who is Chris Hansen? Argh, first I gotta clear some stuff up.
"We're not dating." I sighed.
"...Buzzkill." Dad looked angry at me now, the bastard.
"Right, she just agreed to one test date for now." Lem spoke without a hint of shame.
"Phew, I see." Dad and Issei huddled up together like a football team would, "So depending on this game's performance, you might actually make it to nationals, right?"
"I think so, at least I made it to the qualifiers." Lem whispered back, devoid of self-confidence.
"That's not good, man!" Dad angrily replied, "You can do it! With our help, we'll make you the top player!"
"Yeah, Lune and I have been on plenty of dates before." Issei nodded reassuringly, "We'll make it so she's BEGGING for a second date after this one!"
"Wait, what about Goldie Locks?" Lem inquired, "Is he gonna help too?"
"His stance on you isn't that favorable, besides..." Dad chuckled, "I don't think those two have ever gone on a date without it ending in the bed together, and that's a huge no-no for you, remember?"
"R-Right..." Lem glanced at me, "Wouldn't want that."
Never before in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such a scenario. My father, his otherworldly friend, and my boyfriend are discussing dating strategy in the living room as they pretend that no one else can hear them. As I was busy hiding away my embarrassed face from as many people as possible, mama was the first to tap me on the shoulder.
"He didn't coax you into it, did he? No tricks?"
"N-No, I agreed out of my own volition after carefully thinking about it." I muttered.
"Then good." She gently petted my hair, "Did you decide on what to wear?"
"The date spot is important too, you know." Auntie Eleanor squealed with joy, "Oooh, I'm so excited! Our little Nelly's already all grown up! There's this coffee shop nearby, and-!"
"You can really tell she's new to the dating scene." Othelia teased her, "When it comes to first date spots, you need something memorable, otherwise don't bother."
"Ack, that's my bad! You're so right!" Auntie panicked, "Ignore me, Nelly! I'm just trying to help as best I can!"
"I got it all planned out, don't worry." I sighed, "Now can someone help me carry these heavy bags into the kitchen? My arms are killing me."
To think that all this positive attention would come out of Lem's do or die announcement... No, that's not it. He wouldn't have said anything if it would be met with a negative reception. He said so already, he painstakingly made sure everyone's opinions of him were high, so to crush all his hard work for a moment of surprise wouldn't be his style. In other words, it was painfully obvious already that everyone in the house wanted to hear this news. Just like he had planned from the start...
"Hey." Cene suddenly stopped playing to ask, "Alre Lem and sis gonna get mawwied?"
"...."
"......."
"....."
"No!" I blushed.
"Not yet." Lem raised a hearty thumbs up.
"That's the spirit!" Dad dapped him up.
I'm starting to regret ever humoring Lem all over again.
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***
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After that was settled, Lem and the guys went to the tell uncle, even though I specifically warned them not to, and I was left at home to babysit Cene in my room. Granted, the other women of the house were here and could've done that just fine, but I wanted some time away from everyone, so I thought to use Cene as an excuse to do just that. What the hell is wrong with everyone? Hyping up that bastard after telling us off that night...
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"Sigh..." I sat down on my bed as Cene opened up the boxed doll we just bought him, "Did we get the right one, little bro?"
"Mhm! That's Bella, alright!" He put her next to the other girls, "Now Grant can have his halrem in peace."
"Oi, that's not a term you should be normalizing, you know."
"Uncle Issei taught me."
Uncle Issei? Tch, like hell he is. I'll be damned if I ever have to consider that annoying bastard family ever in my life. Well, I'm glad to see that they're already corrupting Cene's mind with unrealistic expectations of what love is like. Ah, then again, who am I to judge? I said I'd save myself for Meil, but ended up dating Lem instead, even if it's just a tester date. Wait, that's not cheating! Meil and I aren't even dating yet, so it doesn't count! Argh, I sound like such an unfaithful woman when I say it like that!
"That guy isn't our uncle, Cene." I laid back on the bed, "Also, you shouldn't know what a harem is."
"But he's oulr auntie's fence." Cene tried to explain, "And auntie Othelia is also his fence, so they'lre a hawem."
"You mean fiancée?" I chuckled, "Well, that might be true. But I still don't think he's our uncle. Othelia is fine, yet I don't call her an auntie either."
"How come?"
"Well, they're not related by blood." I figured.
"Neithew is uncle Ed." He kept aligning the dolls one next to the other, "He said so befolre. He and dad awe fwiends—Like me and Petew."
"That's... That's different." I thought, "When you were just born, uncle Ed took us in when we had nowhere to go. He's more of a father in that regard than even our stupid real dad."
"Do you hate dad?" He turned around.
"I'm just a bit angry with him." I smiled back weakly, "After all, I just found out he actively supported the guy who almost slept with his daughter. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with him..."
Geez, what the hell am I telling my four year old brother? And here I was arguing that Issei is the one teaching him about inappropriate things. Still, sigh, it probably flew over Cene's head. The "sleeping with" part, I mean.
"Mhm..." Cene got up before toddling over to the bed and giving me the doll Lem and I just bought, "Hewe."
"Bella? What do I do with her?" I tilted my head.
"Wedding gift." Cene looked up at me with innocent Eyes, "Youw daughtew."
"...Pheh, what?" I chuckled, "Cene, what is this?"
"You and Lem found helr." He looked down, trying his best to find the best words to explain himself, "So she's youws."
"Our... daughter?" I inspected the wacky looking doll, "Is that so? Heh, she looks nothing like either one of us, though."
"You don't look like mom or dad either." He replied with something ominous.
"That's because I'm..."
Oh, whoops. Can't be revealing to my younger brother that we're not related. He might cry, and that's no good. Wait, could it be that he knows already? Certainly, if he's been with mama and dad to meet our grandparents, then he's seen that they probably just both sorta resemble dad. Yeah, he might already know I'm adopted. In other words, not blood related, just like uncle Ed isn't, or Issei, or Othelia, or auntie Anna, or auntie Eleanor.
"Cheh, are we all just a bunch of strangers, dammit?" I shrunk back into myself, "Family, my ass."
"I love my family." Cene softly spoke.
"I can imagine." I chuckled.
Yeah, he has mama and dad. He has grandma and grandpa back in Secundis. Unlike me, he has an actual blood-related family he resembles. I was told I was adopted, rescued from a burning building by my unc... by a guy I never met who is also mama's brother. I wonder what he was like. Dad and unc... Lune and Ed always spoke fondly of him, saying how he always wore his stupid opinions on his sleeve yet would always surprise you with a sudden responsible one. What would he say if he met Lem? If he saw Lune celebrate that bastard's victory with him instead of chewing him out?
"Hey sis?" Cene asked.
"Yeah?" I melancholically inspected the doll.
"Can Lem be family too?" He asked, "Even if he's not welated by blood?"
"...Why would he be?" I asked, a bit ticked off by this question.
"Well, when you malrry him, then he's just like uncle Ed and uncle Issei." He explained, "Law bwothelrs, I think."
"I won't..."
Sigh, no use explaining anyways. Wait, did he mean brothers in law? Heh, if I did marry that idiot, maybe. Wait, no, actually he wouldn't. Lem couldn't be Cene's family cause I'm not... Ah. I get it now.
"I'm a Grimheart too, aren't I?" I sniffled, noticing a few tears hit poor Bella on the head, "Is that what you wanted me to realize, Cene?"
"Sclrew that, hew haiw's all wet!" He hastily went to find a cloth to wipe her off with, "Sis, you gotta take bettelr cawe of helr!"
"Pfft, hahahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh, wiping the tears off her with my fingers anyways, "Yeah, sorry. I'll do my best."
"Uncle Cene to the wescue~!" He shouted, tossing the towel he got from the bathroom straight at my face, "Ah, missed."
We laughed and laughed, causing a commotion from upstairs without a care in the world. Siblings, as it were, do that sometimes. I guess I was just overthinking things like I usually do. Worrying about nothing. Dad, mama, I guess they just wanted to support me, and I took that as them supporting Lem instead. Seriously, in these moments I'd usually have Lem to tell me off, calling me a massive pain in the ass. To think I'm going on a date with such a man soon...
"You kids doing alright?" Mama opened the door to see us having a blast, "Sorry to interrupt, but dinner's on the table."
"Mommy, mommy! Guess what!" Cene ran up to her, "You'we a gwandma!"
"Eh, Nelly?" Mama gave me a seriously horrified look, "So wait, did you and Lem actually...?"
"We didn't, goddammit!"