The Pediatrician's Closet

Prepare

Somehow, through miraculous powers unexplainable to mankind, Dani gleaned that the reason why he wanted home on time was because of said girl. Using her massive organizational prowess that had gotten her to the top of the pecking order in the first place, she managed to not only get him home on time for more than half the days of the next week but even a few hours early Friday evening.

The look she gave him as he walked out, though, told him she expected him to pay her back with romantic action, and possibly baby-making. Another one of her favorite topics to peck him about.

'A man who loves children this much deserves to have some of his own, if only to break to him how awful and glorious a thing spawn are to their parents. You need to watch them start to hate you and move away.'

Thank heavens his real mother hadn't yet gotten on him on making her grandbabies.

Mind happy with plans of all the lounging and reading ahead of him, he parked and walked up the steps to see someone standing at the door. A male someone, with familiar carefully kept gray hair. Silver rings gleamed from his right ear.

Of course Masaomi knew the two men who worked with Kaname in his infamous Buddha Club. What kind of brother would he be if he didn't?

Every muscle in his body tensed as the man turned and saw him.

"Ho, big brother! It's been a while." His smile was broad and inviting, as though he really were delighted to see Masaomi, who recognized Chiaki, since he was younger and had a less respectable air about him as Yuusei. The fashionable street clothes he wore didn't help in that regard.

He gave the younger man his practiced smile that he gave to everyone.

"It has, Chi-chan. What can I help you with?"

"Well," he scratched the back of his head, though Masaomi wondered if he had ever truly felt sheepish in his life. "That adorable little sister of yours invited me over, but I think she might have forgotten our meeting and fallen asleep or something. That, or she doesn't hear me ringing. Your complex here is super awesome high tech, by the way."

The monster in his gut stirred, sniffing the air, fire heating.

"I can check for you if you like."

His face lit up. "That would be great! Could you?"

Internally, the monster within him smirked. Suddenly, Masaomi wanted him inside very, very much.

So he invited him in, even led him up to the private fifth floor, where he sat him on a couch in the living room and offered him tea while he waited. He wanted him to have some tea.

Luckily, Chiaki happily agreed.

"Then I'll put some water on and go check her room for you," he said, keeping that default smile on his face.

As he filled the teapot, he checked his back pocket for his phone, just in case. He waited till he was upstairs and out of Chiaki's view before taking it out. As it rang, he headed in the opposite direction of Ema's room towards his own.

"What's up, big bro?" came Yusuke's voice. "Kind of in the middle of class—"

"Which one of Kaname's friends attacked Ema at the club?"

Yusuke choked on something. "H-how do you-? Damn Hikaru. Why do you need to know?"

Masaomi had never doubted that Hikaru was telling the truth, but the confirmation was nice all the same. It fed the beast within him. Now it was only imperative that as much information remained with him as possible.

"If you could tell me quickly so you can get back to class," he said, careful to keep his voice nonchalant.

"Um, well, he had like silver hair like some old guy, I remember that. The other guy is blond, this jerk wasn't. I can't keep their names straight. He also only had one ear pierced."

Bingo.

"Seriously, man, what's going on?"

"Nothing. Thank you. Go back to class."

He hung up in the middle of his brother's squawk of confusion.

Next, he called Hikaru. By then, he had reached his room and already had the small, blue basket of his more potent barely-legal-to-be-at-home meds from the top of his wardrobe.

"Yes'm?"

"Did you invite Chiyaki over here?"

"If I did, would it matter? By the way, that woman who you work with, Dani? Wonderful lady."

Masaomi didn't smile. He didn't appreciate being played like this. But it was too late now. He had already found the bottle he was looking for, so he just hung up without another word. As he looked for the small, almost ornamental mortar and pedestal to grind the pills, he called up yet another brother.

"Ukyo, I need you home now, if you can."

"You're lucky I'm on a late lunch break. What's up?"

"I'll explain when you get here."

With that, he ended the call and turned his attention to grinding like lightning.