Chapter 53: Family Bonding

*Kai*

"Kai! Kai!" Rena called at me.

I rolled until I was laying on my back and opened my eyes. What time was it? I'd slept like a baby. I smiled. Yesterday had been so much fun, but also exhausting. I sat up and glanced at the door.

Wait, Rena was up? Wow, that was a shocker! I thought she would've been as tired as me. While she didn't have to walk, she still rolled her chair, plus swimming took a larger toll on her legs than it did on ours.

"Hold on!" I said, getting out of bed. I was about to pull down my pants, thinking I had on my pajamas, until I realized I had on my clothes from last night.

I chuckled. Seemed I was more tuckered out than I'd thought. I headed downstairs to where Rena awaited. The smell of freshly cooked bacon tickled my nose. I blinked. Had Mom made it? Usually, I was the one who cooked. Rena usually didn't given her legs.

"Hey, son," Father said, grinning as he waved at me. He wore a green apron.

Dad? Now that I didn't see coming!

"What are you doing here? And why did you cook?"

He laughed. "What's with that reaction."

I sighed. "You usually don't cook."

He hummed. "True, but bacon and eggs are my specialty." He chuckled as he placed a place in front of my usual seat.

"Eat up, big bro!" my little sister said.

"It's yummy!" my little bro said before stuffing his face with another bit of bacon.

I smiled at them.

Rena sighed. "Mom and Dad made them breakfast and promised to make them lunch today, too. So, we get to relax a bit."

I raised an eyebrow at them. "It isn't our birthday, so what's the occasion?"

They smiled.

"We heard you and your friends went out yesterday, and decided we should spend time with you kids today," Dad explained as he sat down to eat.

"Eh? Who told you that?" I glanced at Mom.

She giggled. "Sorry, honey. I couldn't help it. You two don't usually go out with friends, so it was a pleasant surprise."

"Well, you could've just asked," Rena grumbled.

"We were a bit worried you'd be tired after last night, though," Mom said, shrugging. "Plus, figured we would give you two more time to do normal teenage stuff like go on dates with your significant others."

Rena blushed and stroke her hair. "I-I guess I can, uh, if Sekin would like."

I frowned. What significant other? I was still single.

"Wait, you got a girl now, Kai?" Dad asked.

I shook my head. "No."

"The girl he likes is dating another girl," Rena said.

"A lesbian? Wow, tough luck, son."

I glared at her.

She shrugged.

"Well, if you have no girlfriend, why don't we go shopping together?" Mom said, beaming.

I chuckled. "Uh, I rather not, Mom. It wouldn't be the same."

She sighed. "True. Your sister would get a different reaction out of it."

"Yeah," Rena snickered.

"So, who is the girl you like?" Dad asked, grinning.

"Uh, well, her name is Sayuri," I mumbled.

"Hmm, and what about her girlfriend?"

"She's also a friend of mine, Ava."

"Oh, and what are they like?"

"Well, Sayuri is very kind, and her smile is infectious. She's beautiful and funny, and just, the best." My face heated up. This was my first time listing all her positive traits aloud, and wow, it made me feel warm inside.

Dad laughed. "You really like her, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"And what about this Ava girl?"

"She can be kind of scary."

He glanced at my mom and Rena. "Well, we have a few scary girls of our own."

Rena grumbled. "Dad!"

Mom snatched some bacon from his plate.

"Hey!"

I smiled. "That said, Ava is also smart. Can be a bit on the stern side, but, she's a great friend."

"And the rest of your friends, how are they like?"

"Hmm, Sehun is a bit of an enigma. I did see a new side of him the other day. He can be quite the taunter. Oh, right, he's also the cousin of Rena's boyfriend, Sekin. He's the one who's dating Souta. As for Sekin, he is pretty friendly, and a good listener. He's also very caring and helpful, especially when it comes to Rena."

Mom smiled at my blushing sister. "Aw, seems she has a nice guy."

"Y-yeah," she said.

"What about that Sou kid?" Mom asked.

"Sou? Isn't he the one you dislike, Rena?" Dad asked.

"He was," Rena said.

"Huh? Really?"

She nodded.

"What changed your mind?"

"He's not as bad as I thought. He's still annoying, but, I think he's kind of decent."

I smiled. Seemed our bonding worked!

Dad laughed. "Well, that's a relief. I was worried I'd have to beat him up."

Rena laughed.

"Sou's a great guy," I said. "He is nice and cheerful. While he can be reckless, he has a good heart. And, he's a pretty talented swimmer."

"He's also a great dodger," Rena said.

"Dodger?" Mom asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, he has the ability to sense and dodge incoming attacks."

"He's really good at it, too. When we had a water balloon fight, Sehun and the others were all ganging up on him, but he was able to avoid them all. It wasn't until he lowered his guard that Kai managed to get him."

Dad smiled. "Wow, impressive."

I smiled, rubbing the back of my head. "N-not really. I just bought my time is all. If anything, it was kind of a cheap way to win."

"That's silly. You used your head is all," Rena said.

"Well, it seems you've made some good friends," Dad said, grinning.

I nodded. "Yeah, they are the best. I made a new one too. His name is Purpura. Well, not sure if I can call him that yet. I barely got to talk to him." I glanced at my sister. "But Rena sure did!"

"You did?" Mom asked.

Rena smiled slightly. "Yeah, he's a bit of an oddball, but, he's nice."

"Oh?"

"He speaks his mind a lot, which is good. I hate it when people don't tell you how they feel. At least, this way, I know what he's thinking, and don't have to waste my time guessing. But, some stuff he says is a tad bit, uh, strange."

"Strange how?"

"Naughty."

"Eh? He was harassing you?" Dad said.

I shook my head. "No. It was toward Sou."

"He's gay? Are all your friends gay?" Mom asked, tilting her head.

"Other than Sekin, I think so, yeah," I said.

"What's gay mean?" my young brother, Kite asked, blinking. He was only three.

Kumi shrugged.

"Think it's something bad, Kira mumbled."

Kyo whispered into her ear.

Kira jumped, face a tad red. "What?"

"Uh, you're a little too young to know, Kite," Rena said.

Kite pouted. My brother was very curious kid. Well, both of them actually.

"Hmm, you sure it's a good idea to hang out with them?" Dad asked, furrowing his brow.

I sighed. "They're good people, Dad. Just because they're different, it doesn't mean they're not good."

He nodded. "Right. Sorry. Didn't mean to sound judgmental."

"It's okay."

"How about ya hang out with them today? I can take ya kids to the city if ya like," Dad suggested.

"That would be nice," I said, smiling.

He smiled. "Cool."

"So, what kind of stuff did you do with them?" Mom asked.

"Uh, well, went to a waterpark. Sou, Ava, Sayu, and I taught Purpura and Rena how to swim. Although, Ava wasn't much help as she ended up bickering with Sou. Sayuri had to tell them to shut it. Sou did eventually help Purpura. After slides, a boat rid, water pads, and a water balloon fight, we ate some sushi, went to an arcade, and then got some ice cream. It was really nice."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Dad said.

I nodded.

"Well, we'll head into the city and have some fun today, too," Dad said, standing up. "Let's go to the zoo!"

"Lions!" Kite said, pumping a fist into the air.

"Bears!" Kumi added, giggling.

"Dragons!" Kyo said, growling.

Kira chuckled. "I don't think the zoo would have any dragons, Kyo."

"How do you know? We've never been to the zoo before!"

She looked down and hummed. "True." She smiled. "Maybe we could see a phoenix too!"

"Yeah!"

Me and all of my siblings, minus Rena, pumped our fists in excitement. Rena just giggled at our antics.

Dad smiled. "Sure, you kids can come. And, we'll even get some nice treats while we're there."

"Yay!" my sister said, clapping her hands.

"Hmm, we might need to rent a car. Our family alone will take up one an a half."

"We could ask Sehun to bring his limo."

"Wow, a limo? How rich is your boyfriend's family?"

Rena giggled. "Uh, very."

Guess she hadn't told them yet that she was dating a prince.

I smiled and finished up my breakfast. Part of me wouldn't have minded if my friends had said no. Hanging out with just my siblings and parents would've also been nice.