[log] Kippei & An

[saypassion]

Who: Tachibana Kippei & An (and Gokutora)
What: The Tachibana siblings have dinner together and poke each other about their love interests~ ♥
When: ~November 24th-ish
Where: Tachibana's apartment
Rating: G

It was a familiar feeling indeed - the lingering smell of their dinner long since devoured, the rich smells of spices the only evidence that the food had even existed to begin with, and his sister tucked under the kotatsu while Gokutora roamed around his feet as he finished up the dishes and waited for the kettle to boil. If he thought that he was going to get any scraps at this point in the evening, he was severely mistaken, though Kippei of course wouldn’t let much time go by without sneaking him at least a little treat. The setting of the evening was a bit different, as in their family home the kitchen was a separate space entirely and An wouldn’t have been able to watch him wander around the kitchen from such a comfortable vantage point, but there was still something warm and familiar about the whole thing.

Kippei’s apartment was larger than your typical shoebox-sized apartment in the Tokyo area, he chose to invest a bit more in his rent each month and cut expenses in other areas so that he could have the space to play host to his family and friends, but it still wasn’t anything like their family home. At least, it wouldn’t have been were it not for the fact that there was clear evidence that Gokutora had been snuck into the apartment - something that was very much against Kippei’s rental agreement. Not that either of the Tachibana siblings could necessarily be considered perfect rule followers when it suited them.

“I’m glad that you could join me for dinner.” Kippei finally stepped away from the counter to wander back to the main living area with two mugs of tea in hand. They were steaming hot - the water had come directly from the kettle and he had grown impatient watching the tea steep. “You are more than welcome to steal the warmth from the kotatsu at any time.” He set down the tea in front of An and the other into his resting place across from her before slipping under the heavy blanket of the kotatsu himself. This was arguably the best part of winter, the holidays notwithstanding.

It was hard to almost pay attention to her older brother, not with the perfect blend of a full stomach, a warm kotatsu and the sound of clinking dishes luling her almost to nap against the the wooden table. If she at least had Gokutora to love on it would be easier for her to stay awake but it seemed like the pooch decided that possible scraps outweighed any scratches and potential cuddles.

Hearing Kippei’s voice made her raise her head up as she slowly blinked away the sleep that had been trying to take her. Letting out a yawn,An gave him a smile as she took the mug into her hands giving him a soft thanks. “I like being able to have a meal with my big brother and totally mooch off of his kotatsu.” An said with a grin as she took a generous sip from her tea. Between the warm tea and the kotatsu she was almost sure she wasn’t going to make it back home.

“I can at least cook for you next time to balance out the mooching.”

Completely truthfully, Kippei didn’t mind the mooching at all. In fact, he quite enjoyed that An still wanted to spend time with her smelly big brother, and would take any excuse he could to do so. Watching her sleepy gaze and the way she snuggled the mug in her hands while firmly wedged under the kotatsu reminded him of nights in Kyushu when they were young, nearly a perfect mirrored image were it not for the fact they were many centimeters taller years later.

“You’re not a mooch,” he said warmly, tucking his own mug in his grasp so he could enjoy the steam blowing up into his face. It was a simple green tea, but it was the time of year that he thought it tasted best. “Not much of one, anyway.”

She truly wasn’t one but An did like to play up the role of the annoying little sister at times. “ I don’t eat enough to be a true moocher.” A pout played on her lips as she tapped on her mug, “Good thing I wasn’t born a boy, I bet I would have ended up taller than you too.” It was all nonsense but it amused her in a way.

“Maybe with my new part time job I can save enough to get my own Kotatsu. I’ll promise to invite you over then.” It hadn’t been long since she had started her new job but An was enjoying it and a perk was that the job paid somewhat better than her old one.

It amused him greatly to think of An somehow managing to surpass him in height. Even if An had been born a brother rather than a sister, with her slight stature and exceptionally shortness, he doubted that she would have been taller than him. The amusement played on his lips as he took another long sip of tea, the warmth from the tea and the kotatsu chasing away the ambient cold of his apartment.

“That’s a great idea,” Kippei agreed, running his thumb across the rim of the mug. There wasn’t a whole lot of space where An lived, but was there anything better than a kotatsu taking up an exorbitant amount of space in a room? Especially not when you had a happy puppy hanging around; Gokutora couldn’t seem to decide who he wanted to settle beside, wandering around the perimeter of the kotatsu blanket. “You promise you’ll cook for me, too, then?”

Her brother didn’t have to say much for her to notice that what she had said sounded farfetched to him. Realistically she’d probably still be shorter than him.

Once Gokutora waddled closer to her side of the kotatsu, An pulled a hand away from her mug to give the dog a scratch near his belly. “ Of course I’ll cook for you. I would be an awful host if I didn’t do that much.

Kippei rested his elbow on the kotatsu and propped his cheek in his palm as he watched Gokutora wiggle his butt and happily enjoy the attention bestowed upon him. Admittedly, he did miss living with a dog - it was hard to ever feel lonely when there was someone who showered you with unconditional love and affection just for existing. Gokutora was quite accomplished at that.

“Of course.” A warm smile pulled at his lips as he looked back to his sister. It had been gradual over these past couple of months, but she seemed much more herself - happy and had that look about her that everything was going well for her. “You look happy,” he commented. “Things are going well, I take it?”

The elderly dog was quick to rub his head against her leg and leave a nice trail of drool, after so many years it didn’t bother her much these days. Instead she smiled even more as she scooped him and half laid him on her lap as she listened to her brother.

“I think things are going well enough for the most part, especially with my new part time job~ It’s been a nice change.” It hadn't been too long since she started but it was a bit of fresh air for her among other things. Looking back up to the blond she quirked an eyebrow. “ What about you? Should I be worried about anything?” She teased.

“I’m very glad to hear that.” It had been a bit of a whirlwind of a ride for An, but Kippei was glad that things were settling down and that she was enjoying the new job. It was a great opportunity for her, and he thought that it would give good experience to go along with her schooling.

“Worried about anything?” Kippei laughed, righting himself properly so that he could take another long sip of the tea. Between the radiating warmth of the kotatsu and the heavy blanket pooled around his lap, and the tea that was just now at an appropriate drinking temperature, he was quite toasty. “No, I don’t think so. Unless you’re concerned that I’m taking on too much.”

Which, surprisingly enough, Kippei felt as though he had been relatively calm with the constant need to have a billion things going on. But there had been other things outside of his normal projects that he hadn’t gone into too many details with An, and that was likely what she was going to pry out of him for more information.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “No, I’m not that worried. You always take on too much, there isn’t much I can do about you being you at this point.” Kippei was always busy with many projects or helping his friends out with that An didn’t think much of it. “ I meant like maybe anything new? That I should know of?”

Wasn’t that the truth? Spoken like a true Tachibana. The apple (banana?) truly didn’t fall far from the tree.

Kippei chuckled, hands winding around the mug. He knew this act quite well - it was clear that An did want to talk about a certain something - or more specifically, a certain someone. But, just as Kippei wasn’t quite sure what all he could say that wasn’t incoherent babbling thought because that was how his way of being seemed to manifest these days, well, he wasn’t going to make it so easy for her. “It seems as though you’re fishing for information,” he said sagely.

A small pout formed on her lips. He had caught on but it wasn’t like she had been trying to sneak upon the subject but it would have been nice for Kippei to just bring it up. Letting Gokutora snuggle into her lap, she took the moment to bring back the mug to her mouth for a sip, “ Should I just dump all the bait? Would that be easier?”

Thoughtfulness passed over Kippei’s face as he gave her words due consideration. It was not a matter of whether or not it was easier - he supposed it was more along the lines of what was it that she specifically wished to know? Kippei didn’t know if there was a whole lot to be said, really, he could conclude with a fair amount of certainty, but he supposed it didn’t hurt to let her ask questions about it.

“It does depend on what it is that you’re fishing for exactly.” He brought the mug up to his lips to finish off the tea before setting it out of the way to the edge of the kotatsu. With the absence of something in his hands, he instead folded them together, fingers lightly curled around his wrist. “How much bait do you have?”

If she were honest there wasn’t much to tempt him, “ I have enough but I’ll just be straightforward.” She looked him over once before bringing her mug down with a small smile, “Mind telling me what you’re up to Akira-kun?” Just reading their conversations An could tell that something was up on his end. “I’m just curious is all.”

Ah, Akira-kun. What was Kippei up to with Akira?

What had started off innocently enough as a simple break in to a very well known park in the city to drink and enjoy a good friend’s company had morphed into a kiss - a kiss in which the end result was chasing Kamio to another edge of the park and into rose bushes, and their hands down one another’s pants. At the time Kippei had concluded it was an expression of passion for one held dear to his heart, a physical manifestation of their relationship that had been so many things over the years since they first met as declared captain and vice captain.

But this conclusion was tested when they returned to Kippei’s apartment and continued their exploration in the shower, the following morning they were tangled up in one another’s arms before Kamio sped off to get breakfast, and the Fudoumine camping trip that saw to them sharing a tent, cuddling, and kissing the evening away. It had been much more than incidental, in particular during the time when Kippei had invited Kamio over to watch Cinderella and things had escalated from there, but Kippei still didn’t have a name for it - nor an explanation for how they seemed to gravitate toward one another.

Ultimately he settled on inviting Kamio out on a date for Christmas. It was a safe option - the ability to explore the events of the previous months in a way that did have a name they could put to it, even if everything else remained indescribable, and Kippei was looking forward to it even if the asking hadn’t been quite as he had anticipated. There was no denying that Kippei felt something for the other man - it was clear in the way he fixated on his expressive eyes that seemed to stop Kippei in his tracks and the way that he felt he could take on the world with Kamio in his arms.

“That’s a good question,” Kippei said, breaking out of his thoughts, and looking back to his sister. “It’s been… an eventful few months.” Which wasn’t at all descriptive, but it was a starting point.

After watching for his reaction ad then that short response it made An shake her head. Kippei had managed to tell her or at least part of what had happened with her friend but that had been a while ago and while she would have asked Kamio,An felt that if she ever did ask the red head his heart might not actually take it.

“Has it been recently eventful?”

Kippei couldn’t help the chuckle, it rumbling through his shoulders. “What would you classify as recent?” He wasn’t specifically trying to be a pain in the ass, but he wasn’t sure she specifically An wanted to hear. Was it how Kippei felt? The events from his perspective? For all he knew, Kamio had already spoken to An about this stuff, and he was just confirming what Kamio had already stated.

Now Kippei was just making fun of her. An let out an annoyed breath as she tapped at her mug giving Kippei an eye. “Recent as in tell me everything since you haven’t told me that much.” These were the moments when her patience was tried and wanted to call him an idiot big brother but she would try and be patient since he didn’t actually have to tell her anything but considering how he was teasing her he was going to anyways.

Ah, so her patience had worn thin. Kippei didn’t know if he had anything good to offer her, even stalling the conversation to try to think of the appropriate place to begin, but he supposed that it was just as good to start from the beginning. “Okay, I’m sorry,” he relented, twisting his positioning once more to sit in seiza underneath the kotatsu instead. “Did I tell you about what happened in the park? I don’t remember.”

“You did tell me, you guys had kissed then.” It was certainly an interesting story to hear from him about how they drunkenly broke into the park. Sometimes she worried about those two, at least An could count on Shinji to not get into much trouble.

Kippei honest to goodness didn’t remember what he had told her. He wondered if it had been only that - that they had kissed and nothing happened beyond that, which by every recount could very well have been the case since Kamio had all but announced it to the community in fear that he had somehow done something that would upset Shuuji.

“Is that all I told you?”

Did that mean he had kept some details from her? Leaning forward she gave Kippei a look. “Is it?”

So it had been. Kippei chuckled, not from nervousness, but just knowing that this was going to likely incite a response that Kippei wasn’t sure if he knew how to handle. Of course, it would not be the first time An had heard of Kippei partaking in any sexual activities - though he had spared her any details of past relationships, this was certainly not the first time - but it would be a first to express that it had happened with Kamio.

“Evidently so,” he confirmed. “We… engaged in some other activities, as well.”

Oh. The gears turned in her brain as she processed what Kippei had said. There wasn’t a need to clarify and while it wasn’t surprising, An still couldn’t help but feel surprised either way. “I see...have you...continued to engage in these activities?”

Kippei gave that due consideration. “It has… continued, yes.”

That was certainly interesting. “Is it just..physical?” An was kind of hoping that there was more to it than that. When Kippei had mentioned it for the first time she thought about the two being together and she quite liked the idea.

And this is where Kippei had found himself stuck. To say that it was just physical would certainly be a misnomer - the way that they had become closer over these past few months, how the line between friendship and something more had begun to blur, how Kippei found himself feeling like the physical connection was something that he wanted to have and not that it just so happened to be. But to say that it was specifically romantic in nature wasn’t something that Kippei necessarily considered it to be… at least at this point.

Had it turned that way, however…

“That’s hard to say,” he said, as the words that he finally decided on. “I don’t think so. I just don’t know what to call it, either.”

A smile spread across her face, Than don’t call it anything. Sounds like you two are still figuring that out but if you want my opinion I would be more than happy with Akira-kun becoming a part of the family.”

Family? “I mean, he’s already a part of the family in a way, isn’t he?” But any other meaning of the word was horribly premature considering he and Kamio hadn’t even gone on their first official date or anything. It was certainly a nice thought - putting aside any of this, Kamio was so very important to both of them - but they were far from there.

“I think that’s a bit premature,” Kippei said with a laugh, resting his cheek in his hand. “I appreciate your support, but let us go on a date before we start talking like that.”

Kippei was right, Kamio really was a part of their family and so were all of the fudomine boys but she certainly meant it in another fashion. “I know but I’m just saying that if it does progress into something more serious than I’d fully support the both of you.”

Regardless of how things were to pan out, whether they were meant to turn to a new direction or not, Kippei did appreciate An’s support. He could always count on his sister and she could always count on him, but it did warm his heart when it was something that they both acknowledged face to face, as opposed to going without being said.

“Thank you.” His tone was warm and full of fondness. “I’m curious to see where it takes us from here. It has been quite… an experience.” If bumbling words, long, awkward embraces standing by Kamio’s bike when they were supposed to be going into a restaurant for dinner, and Kippei spending far too much time in front of a mirror deciding whether or not his outfit was suitable for said dinner, was an experience, in any case.

She shook her head with a grin,” No need to thank me~ You know I'll always support you big brother.” At least 99% of the time that was the case and the current situation merited that as well. “ Akira's really cute and funny as well, Imt sure you're having a good time.”

That was certainly an understatement. Kamio was very cute and very charming, but it was more than that, too. He felt as though he had come to know Kamio in a more intimate way, and not just because of any sex or cuddles there may have been. It was how his whole face lit up when Kippei praised him - his expression of himself happening in wide, articulating gestures when words failed him. It was how Kippei felt rooted to the spot when Kamio trained his gaze on him. It was all that and more that led Kippei down a path of where he didn't know it was to go, but gave him hope that it was somewhere beautiful.

“It's been a good time,” he laughed. “He's always full of surprises.”

“I’m glad then, I would have asked Akira-kun about you guys..”She trailed off for a moment before letting out a sigh, “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have gotten an answer and I didn’t want to frazzle him.” Maybe eventually An could ask him but considering how things were at the moment maybe it was for the best she only ask Kippei.

Given that Kippei and Kamio themselves could barely hold a conversation without Kamio blushing red as his hair whenever they were on the topic of what had been transpiring between them, he wasn’t quite sure if asking Kamio would be a very wise move. Not unless An wanted Kamio all but screaming for his life out of wherever the conversation transpired.

“That’s likely for the best,” Kippei confirmed with a nod. “I don’t know if his heart could take it.”

“Exactly, it’s not fair to him. I’m sure once he’s ready he’ll come and tell me.” She grinned at the older blond, “It’s a good thing that I have you that I can question.”

Now that was just plain dangerous. Kippei smiled and asked, “Are you sure about that? I thought you wanted me to spare the details?”

Her grin faltered for a moment as she thought about his words. “You should know what details I want to hear.” Kippei didn’t need to gone about what he was intimately doing with one of her best friends.

“Hmm,” Kippei hummed thoughtfully as he slipped out from under the kotatsu and came to a stand. “Do I truly?” He was merely teasing, of course; he wouldn’t go into any personal details that she wouldn’t want to know. But what he told her really was the extent of it right now - he may have had more details later, but things needed to pan out first.

“Would you like a top up of tea?” Kippei retrieved his mug and paused beside her with his hand outreached.

Even she could tell that Kippei was teasing her but to add on she narrowed her eyes as she handed him back her mug. It was only half full but she could end up drinking another mugful. “ I’d like to think you do.”

“Of course I do.”

As he refilled the tea, Kippei just looked back out to the living room thoughtfully. Although he didn’t have much that he could share with An about Kamio, he was rather curious to know how things were going with Shuuji. It seemed like she was happy - any indication from her or Shuuji both seemed to point in that direction, but there was only so much one could glean from comments online and brief conversations when they were able.

“So,” Kippei started the next half of the conversation, coming back around the kotatsu to hand off An’s topped off tea and get comfortable again with his own. “Enough about me. Time for you.”

While Kippei went back to fill up their mugs, An took the time to pet the sleeping pooch that had slowly fallen asleep in between her lap and the kotatsu. It was no secret that Gokutora also enjoyed the kotatsu.

She blinked slowly as she brought her head up to meet her brothers gaze and took back her mug. She could play dumb for a moment. “ What would you like to know?”

“I know this routine,” Kippei teased, though he wasn’t going to press if she didn’t want to talk about it for whatever reason. “About Shuuji, of course.”

It’s a good thing he did because An decided she could keep at it a little while longer as she hid behind her mug to stall time. “What about him? He’s still him.”

That was one way to put it, in any case. Tanegashima Shuuji was, indeed, still himself; nothing was ever going to change that, not even the woman of his affections. “Don’t twist my words against me.” He was perfectly deserving, of course - all she was doing was turning the tables around on him and he had most certainly been a pain in the ass.

An couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as a grin made its way to her face, “Like you weren’t doing that just five minutes ago?”

“Yes, yes,” Kippei relented, pausing for long enough to take a sip of the tea. He chose a different one this time - a white tea as opposed to a green tea, so as to lessen the amount of caffeine he was putting in his body. The last thing he needed was to be up all night thinking about Kamio in the rose bushes. “You caught me.”

It satisfied her to get that response from Kippei that she decided that should could spare him. “What would you like to know about him? Besides the fact that we’re still dating?”

“Details,” Kippei said simply with a pointed smile.

This was one of the reasons why her brother was insufferable , there was many paths she could take with this and wasn't sure how to go about it. First, a question. “ What has he told you?”

While Kippei and Shuuji had certainly spoken on more than just the rare occasion since they officially started dating, Kippei didn’t really hear anything other than what he could already ascertain. It was not about it being his sister specifically and more that Shuuji was actually a rather private person - though he had come out to say that he really liked An, and that made
Kippei happier than he could even begin to put into words. There was nothing else he wanted more than for his sister to be loved, as she deserved nothing than the absolute best.

“To be honest, not a whole lot,” he said. “He’s surprisingly private.”

While An knew that Shuuji wasn’t one to yell to the four winds everything he did , it slightly surprised her that he hadn’t told Kippei very much. “Alright then, fair enough..Things have been going pretty well…” She paused and took a sip before playing with the rim of her mug, “He’s really considerate and kind and he make me laugh since half the time he can be a big goofball..” All those things were important to her but there was also something else just as important. “He likes me because I’m me even when I probably deserve to be smacked upside the head.” She finished with a laugh. “There’s lots of things.”

Kippei was going to keep it privately to himself, but he didn’t think that An ever deserved to be smacked upside the head, even when she believed she did.

It didn’t surprise him that those were the traits that she valued, however. An had always enjoyed people who made her laugh, it was something that he had heard about on more than one occasion through their school years when boys - namely Kamio and Momoshiro - did just that. It warmed his heart to hear her say such things, for it meant that Shuuji was treating her in such a way that he as a big brother would approve of. Ultimately he never wanted to get in the way of someone who made An happy, it was not his place to ever say anything even if he disagreed, but it did make him happy that she had found all those things.

“Well, that sounds wonderful.” The warm smile on his face must have been permanently etched onto it with the sudden burst of pride he felt for his sister. “I’m glad that he makes you laugh. That’s important in a relationship, I think.”

There was almost something about Kippei that reminded her of a glowing happy buddha. An knew that Kippei had always liked Shuuji so it was no surprise that he’d be happy that they were in a relationship.” I don’t think I could be with him if he bored me out of my mind. He always manages to find a way to do the opposite.”

Kippei had a suspicion that Shuuji didn’t intentionally find a way to do the opposite, he was just a very contrary person by nature, but he understood how that would be appealing to his sister - there was no chance of Shuuji ever losing her attention because he was so spontaneous and out there.

“He’s a bit like that, isn’t he? Always keeping things interesting?”

“For the most part but sometimes even boring is a little nice.” Sometimes they’d find themselves lazing about with just their company and maybe even with a book which An was glad to know that the older man did enjoy reading like her.

As though he read her mind, Kippei commented, “Well, he’s just as much of a bookworm as you are. Has it given you something to bond about?” Kippei loved to hear all about the latest books that An had read - it was clear that she really did enjoy reading. Admittedly, they were not alike in that regard - Kippei was not much of a reader himself.


She quirked a brow at the bookworm comment but it was true, “We do read different genres but sometimes we recommend each other different titles and so far they haven’t been too bad.” At the thought of a bad book, An could only remember the short reading they did of fifty shades of grey and it made her shake her head.

“That’s great.” Kippei leaned back on his palms and stretched out his legs under the kotatsu, careful to not disrupt An with his feet. He could feel Gokutora take a sudden interest at the movement, though when it was clear that it was not something coming to deliver him food, he settled back down. “I’m glad that you can share that with one another.”

The sleepy pup in her lap soon wiggled himself out and took a loud sniff before settling his head back in to her lap. An shook her head once more as Gokutora’s actions and gave him a scratch behind the ear. “Yes, it’s been nice and we’ve been in no rush for anything..”

“That’s a good thing - that only helps in getting to know one another.” Although Kippei hadn’t had much time one on one with Shuuji when they had first met back at the U-17 tennis camp in middle school, through observations and shared public spaces like the baths, he had gotten a pretty good idea of what kind of person Shuuji was. From a dating perspective, however, that could be completely different.

She nodded with a smile, in a ways taking it slow was what An wanted since they had plenty of time to learn about each other more and little quirks, “It does, so now that I’ve told you, you don’t have to worry about anything.

“That’s good - I would hate to have to bring out big, scary big brother.” Kippei gave her a warm smile, dispelling any possibility of the overprotective brother routine. He knew that An would always make the best decisions for her - and Shuuji had proven that he was going to take care of her. Just as it should be.

“Oooh~ Even I’m getting some chills from hearing that.” She teased with a laugh as she took another sip from her tea. Even thought she knew he was joking , An was happy to know that she truly had a wonderful older brother.

Though it was clear that An was teasing, it still made Kippei happy that she’d play along and make him feel all big and tough. “You better - he wouldn’t know what hit him.” Well, he would - it would be Kippei’s fist. But hopefully there would never be a reason for that. The thought made him chuckle inwardly, if nothing else, for the irony in his statement considering he did have a bit of a reputation.

She rolled her eyes once at his horrible pun but nonetheless it did make her laugh, “Maybe, but he does have some pretty good reflexes. He might be able to dodge even a little.” For the most part An knew that it wouldn’t come down to having Kippei to step in. If anything even she could throw a punch.

That was true. It would actually probably be pretty hard for Kippei to land a punch if he wanted to - Shuuji was known for his abnormally quick reflexes on the tennis court and that would certainly translate well to off court, as well. “You make a good point. In that case, he’ll dodge me, and then he’ll be ready to accept a punch from you.”

“I might have to jump first before I get him, it wouldn’t be much of one otherwise.” It didn’t help that An was on the short side but it also didn’t help that Shuuji was also quite tall so even she found it to be amusing at times.

Now that was an interesting thought indeed - a running, jump start punch to the face would certainly tell a good story. Kippei laughed, pushing himself to sit up straight again. “You’re right. Something like that would almost need to be caught on video.”

No, it definitely didn’t need to be caught on video, “I don’t really need to get me viralised so let’s agree that it doesn’t.” She said with a pout as she leaned her back against the floor as she outstretched her legs into the ever so warm kotatsu. Even Gokutora moved himself further in when she started moving. It wouldn’t surprise An if he started snoring loudly after all this.

Not that Kippei would ever do that, but the thought was amusing enough. “Yes, yes, we don’t want you to go viral for roundhouse punching your boyfriend in the face.”

“Exactly and it’s not like he’ll find a reason for me to need to that.” At least that’s what An hoped.

Kippei looked thoughtful. “No… but perhaps it could be featured in Hitouji’s movie about the fifteen foot rabbit starring Zaizen, or whatever it is he’s filming for school.”

She quirked an eyebrow at the idea, An doubted it could even give tha movie and sort of depth. Letting out a yawn, An shut her eyes, “ Wasn’t it supposed to be an 8 foot rabbit?” She mumbled once as the Kotatsu was starting to make her drowsy, it was hard to keep awake when you had a full stomach and were feeling toasty.

A quick glance to the clock suggested that it was probably still a little early to turn in for the night, but Kippei himself had fallen asleep many a time underneath the kotatsu even at times when he was supposed to be productive, instead. “Why don’t you get some sleep,” he said softly, pulling himself out from under the kotatsu, and crouching down beside her.

“Sleep would be good...” She murmured as An decided that even opening an eye was too much work. Sure the floor wasn’t as comfortable as a bed but kotatsu at the moment currently ranked higher than Kippei’s bed.

The protective older brother came out in full force. Kippei smoothed his hand over An’s hair and tugged on the thick blanket of the kotatsu to better wrap her in. “Sleep well, sweet.”