Guess Who's Coming to Dinner [Cecil x Rui]

She snickers at the thought. "Don't tell him you think that. Or maybe do. Sure the reaction will be fun." She hums. "Actually, that gives me an idea..."

Within the kitchen, Cecil stands by the sink, finishing up washing his mouth out before getting some water for himself. Past him, a door into another room is slightly ajar. He looks up lethargically, and stiffens as he spots Rydia entering the room with Rui behind him. He steps back instinctively, his terrified eyes flicking to where there were once undone buttons.
Rydia takes this moment to pout at him. "Come on, you're not that afraid of me, are you?"
Cecil's mind seems to short-circuit for a moment, and for a moment there's a flicker of a smirk on Rydia's face. "You know I'm not! It's just-"
"Then what's the problem?" With the interruption Cecil's words choke in his mouth, and Rydia starts to grin. "Wait, no...don't tell me." The rising dread is visible as Cecil sets the glass down, and his little sister relishes it. "Not still afraid of him are you?" She steps forward, and hugs him. "I'm sorry, bro, ok? He was after this guy, and I tried to help him out - only, it was you, and I had no idea."
He releases him and steps back so he can see Rui clearly as his expression contorts, realising what she was telling him and not wanting to admit it. "But hey, he's not so bad, right? I mean, what happened earlier definitely wasn't great, but I think he was just trying to avoid admitting he has a thing for you."

"Urk-" He tries to speak, but all that comes out is a garbled mess of choking noises, looking between Rui and Rydia all the while looking as if the world had been upended around him.
Rydia grins wider and wider with every sound, eventually stepping forward and draping an arm over his shoulder, puliing him tight. "Isn't this great?" She sweeps out an arm toward Rui. "Not just someone who likes you, but someone willing to go the extra mile to see you happy! It's all you could ever want!"

"WHAT?!"

"Come on bro, it was gonna happen eventually."

Okay, Rydia was evil. Like evil in a wonderful way. Rui was simply flat-out amazed by her intentional teasing of Cecil. This girl was very dangerous. He endeavored to never ever get on her wrong side.

Rui finally lost it when Cecil's face started contorting. He slammed his hands up to his mouth to prevent himself from laughing, which was successful, but led to him looking suspiciously like someone who was successfully suppressing laughter.

He turned towards Rydia, "Oh wow, I think you really broke him. You really really really did."

Rui waved his hands repeatedly at the dazzled young man, "Hellooooo? Earth to Cecil?" Hellloooo?

He then gave a pouty look at Cecil, similar to the one he previously gave Rydia, except this pouty expression was more of a scolding take. Arguably maternal in a weird way, possibly the last expression Cecil wanted to see, "Geeez, if you didn't always overreact, people wouldn't be constantly teasing you."

He stuck out two peace signs with his hands as well as his tongue, in a loopy smile, "Instead, just be like me!" Don't let anything get to you! All smiles, all day! Yay!" Surely Cecil wanted to be like Rui one day. Surely.

Cecil batted wildly at the hands being waved before him, his face seemingly not having any idea what it was doing, finally causing Rydia to crack and bust out laughing. "Stop that! Come on!" His attempts scowling are fought by his jaw's desire to drop open and cause him to gape, face oscillating partway between each expression at a rapid rate. "Have you just been messing with me the entire time?!"
"Well, this is a lot better than before." Luneth reenters the room smiling, shutting the door behind him. "Doesn't say good things when your son rushes in the kitchen to start vomiting."
"Aha, haha, uhhh..."
He chuckles. "Don't worry about it. It seems to be resolved. Though, I can't say I'm entirely pleased..." He drops into a stern, serious expression. "Outing your friend's crush like without their permission. I swear..." He shakes his head as Rydia starts to snicker again, Cecil looking to his father with a message in his eyes of Not you too! "But what's done is done." He settles a hand on Cecil's shoulder, and looks to Rui, giving a warm and fatherly smile. "Look after my son, will you? He's a lot more fragile than he tries to appear."
"DAD!?"

Luneth and Rydia continue on as they have, similar thoughts running through their minds at that particular moment in time.
As is the family way...embarassment obstructs misery.

"Kihihihi, Sherlock's a little late to the party.

Rui openly laughed as well. Not particularly at this situation, which wasn't the most flustered or miserable he had seen Cecil, but at the entire dynamic of the situation - at the entire family dog-piling Cecil to add onto his woes. He found Cecil's family dynamic more hilarious than anything else.

He briefly braced himself for a very negative lecture as soon as Cecil's father entered the room, but he actually got smiles and friendliness. This gesture immediately gave Rui a very positive impression of Cecil's father. This guy knew what was up.

Rui turned towards Luneth and gave him a mock salute, "Aye aye, sir! Or as maybe Cecil might want me to call you, Papa 2.0! I wouldn't be his upperclassmen if I didn't." Rui was clearly not Cecil's upperclassman. In fact, Rui was a first year when Cecil appeared to be a third year, which would put Rui as far away from being an upperclassman as possible.

Rui smiled at Rydia and Luneth, "He's sometimes spazzy, hard to understand, and acts perverted, but he's a good guy!" Rui as smiled, at what he felt was a perfectly accurate depiction of Cecil's character.

Rui also gave the two a very deferential curtsy, like a student bowing towards their teacher, "Not to mention, maybe I should give him an easier time at school, considering the caliber of training he gets at home. Well, probably not. But maybe!"

Rui just thought of something, as he felt that it was time for the group to further bond and celebrate the new step in their relationships, "Anyways, is anyone else for cake and tea?"

"You aren't my upperclassman at all!"
"Are you sure? Because he's showing more class than you are right now."
"Your sister is right. You don't just yell like that."
"AAAAAAGH!"

They both broke out laughing, and only laughed harder at the description Rui gave. "P-Per- oh my god, Rui!"
"You're calling me a pervert?!"
"Don't get hung up on the details! Just take the compliment, Cecil!"
"Are you serious?!"

For all the absurdity, the situation was strangely soothing to Cecil. He was being tormented to the moon and back, but he felt better for it in some ways.
And so, he resigned himself to his fate.
He closed his eyes and sighed as everyone around him laughed away, grabbing the water he'd poured and starting to drink only to burst out coughing as Rui made his next statement. He finished up coughing to look around with wild eyes. "NO! NO VINEGAR TEA!"
"After last time, I have to agree. I think we should leave that for now."
"Cake, though?"
"Cake." Luneth nods. "Give me a moment. I'll get some cut."

Rui gave Cecil a rather smug look as Cecil's relatives all backed him up in his much more circumspect, modest teasing of Cecil. However, Rui sighed when Cecil vetoed the idea of more alcoholic tea. Luckily, a rush of cream and sugar was soon to rescue Cecil, but Rui couldn't help trying to settle a query that had been baking in the back of his head for a while.

He learned towards Cecil and whispered in his general direction, "But uh, not going to judge, but just to be totally clear, you're not like actually into me, right? Or into mommy stuff, either, right?" Rui wasn't sure what else would have explained Cecil's extremely outgoing behavior at the music-themed clothing store, so he just wanted to double-check.

Rui found a flat look being sent his way, distinctly and entirely unimpressed. "No, Rui. Not now, and not ever. I'd ask where you get these ideas, but I think the answer would just terrify me more."
"Come on, you two. Less muttering, more cake." Luneth shoves a small plate with a thick slice of the De Rolo into the hands of the boy and boy-imitation-product, the message clear in his eyes to not start anything again even as he smiled away. "Feel free to grab something to drink."
Rydia beams as Luneth passes by, taking a plate as he walks by holding his own slice and a bottle of coke. "Finally!" She bit into her slice of the roll, and was soon making appreciative noises. "Stop being grumpy and try this already!"
Rolling his eyes, Cecil took a bite as prompted, taking a moment to taste it properly before swallowing it down and moving off to the fridge.
He refused to admit right now he actually liked that.

Cecil's answer seemed like a no, which seemed to reassure Rui just fine.

Rui took a bite. He thought it was fine. Then again, his tastes were very strange as a result of the operation. Which is why when he made food, he really liked to test it out with others. To see what normal people liked when they ate food.

He turned to the crowd of people assembled, "So how is it? I would like to say that I put something very strange in it, but that wouldn't be true. Just eggs, butter, guava, sugar, and vinegar."

While they answered and were distracted with other things, Rui went and poured himself a glass of the strange blue tea, before closing up the jar tightly again. He began walking back to the table and sipping his tea without making any kind of facial expression or noticeable reaction to the drink. It tasted like vinegary fruit. And alcohol. But mostly vinegar and fruit. He happened to think it came out very well. Which only made Cecil's behavior even stranger.

Cecil winces as he's grabbing his lemonade. "Why does everything have to have vinegar with you...? Most people don't make everything with vinegar."
Rolling her eyes at Cecil's (to be honest, premature) mutterings, Rydia moved over by Rui. "Come on, you said you had pictures! Show me!" As she leans in, her eyes flick to the glass in Rui's hand. "I won't tell Dad if you don't."

"Vinegar makes everything better. Everything." Rui stated that in a completely normal tone, as if it he were stating what he believed to be an an objective fact like "the sky is blue" or "Cecil is a pervert".

Rui then gave Rydia a smile, "Ah yes, milady, your wish is my command."

Instead of sending pictures like a normal person, which seemed too complicated, Rui just handed his phone over to Rydia. Totally unlocked. The most recent e-mails were mostly a mix of business, school, and one e-mail from a certain Julius requesting a meeting tomorrow night. The most recent pictures were mostly food, random animals seen on the street, selfies of Rui in various cosplay outfits, and various pictures of uh, Cecil in his misery and sadness.

Rui also secretly moved his cup very close to Rydia with the same movement as he gave her the cell-phone, intentionally tilting his body so that it would partially obstruct Cecil's view of anything Rydia decided to do.

"No it doesn't!"

Rydia laughs. "Cecil should take lessons from you." The boy in question gives his sister a dirty look, before deciding to chug down his lemonade and grab another glass - after he recovers from the ever throat-rending action of chugging a fizzy drink.
While Cecil is occupied with such, Rydia snags Rui's glass and takes a sip, before shoving it back in his hand and grabbing the offered phone. She takes a moment to taste the liquid, and finds herself with a strange expression once she's done with it. "That's...one of the weirdest things I've ever tasted. How did he drink so much...? That's really, really vinegary."

"Alright, anyway, let's see!" Rydia leans on the counter, setting her plate down to work through the contents of Rui's phone. As she runs through the pictures, she gives a running commentary, until coming across the ones of Cecil. "You...seriously took pictures him vomiting everywhere? Man, he's got some on his leg..."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" As Cecil starts to lunge towards the pair, Rydia takes the chance to send a email herself a few of the pictures on the phone, vomit pics included. It was a really sore spot now, but it was beautiful blackmail material. "Give me that!"
As Cecil makes his grab, Rydia sidesteps it, giving him a push on his way and Rui an opportunity to trip him if he really wanted. "Too late, they're mine! Now, so, what else..." She continued to dig through, freely taking advantage of the foolish thing Rui had done in giving her full access, until she spotted one particular email that was actually interesting. "Wait, Julius? Is...is it that Julius? The queen's kid? Are you really meeting with them?"
"You've got to be kidding me..." Cecil groans. "Well that's a recipe for disaster if I've ever heard one."

Rui nodded solemnly at Rydia's suggestion "Yes, Cecil really needs to shed his out-dated sense of shame! Shame brings pain! Not-yay!"

He also gave Rydia a wink upon noticing her disgust at the drink, "See, I told you he knew how to rage."

Rui smiled as Cecil lunged at the two. Although he didn't trip Cecil out of sympathy for the man, Cecil still managed to push the extremely light Rui down, if just for the fact that Rui was designed to be exceedingly aerodynamic. Cecil immediately fell upon Rui, with Cecil's face hovering over Rui's.

However, for a brief moment, Rui panicked. Not because of Cecil - but because of Rydia finding his e-mail exchange with Julius. "Oh shit." He cursed himself as he knew technology was a problem for him. Although he wasn't quite sure why Julius wanted to see Rui, he had a strong idea of what the meeting was about. A strong idea that he did not want to share with anyone just in case that his hunch turned out to be true. Matters with the Cadets were to be kept solely confidential. There was only one choice remaining - to horrify Cecil and company until they forgot about the meeting with Julius.

The upside of having a history of making loopy statements is that you can also make loopy statements in order to distract people from serious matters. That you don't want them to consider. He immediately clasped his hands together behind Cecil's neck in a posture reminiscent of a cheap bodice ripper romance novel. Or well, a variety of mangas.

Then he answered Rydia, "Ah yes, I guess. Perhaps a secret tryst? A forbidden relationship? The love that dare not speak its name?"

He faced Cecil, who was really almost way too close for Cecil's own sanity, before carefully formulating the words that he felt would most horrify Cecil. He had learned from Master Rydia, "Sorry babe, I think you're gonna get NTR'd. Please get ready to call me Princess Rui from now on."

"Agh-fuck!" Cecil's fall was neither clean nor graceful, and before he managed to pull his weight off of him, Rui would find that where he was light, Cecil was most definitely not. He winces and lets out a pained breath as his leg crashes hard against the floor, a distraction that gives Rui all the opportunity he needs to enact his terrible ploy as his glass shatters against the ground.




As he ripped Rui's arms from around his neck, scrambling to his feet and to the other side of the room, Rydia doubled over laughing. "I-I hi-" She gave herself over to laughter as she showed Rui the screen of his phone, a quite beautiful picture of that moment where Rui had clasped his hands behind her brother's neck clear for all to see.
Luneth enters the room at a clipped pace, looking around full and ready to perform damage control. There was glass on the floor along with a boy, the son he'd heard scream was pressed up against the opposite wall, and Rydia was doubled over laughing. Wordlessly she holds up the screen to her father in explanation, and he gives a tired smile before shaking his head. "I see..." He looks at everyone present in the room. "You do like to worry me, don't you?"
He walks over to Cecil, ushering him out of the room. "Clean that up while I see to your brother, will you?"
The door shuts behind them.

Rui let go pretty easily in order for the poor Cecil to escape. A pretty typical Cecil screaming and fleeing action. Rui had grown accustomed.

Mission complete. Any memories that Cecil had of Rui's highly suspicious meeting with Julius were now coated in a deep layer of misery and sadness. He would hopefully not thus review the implications of this e-mail. Well, he might, but he would have to fight a lot of pain and trauma to get there.

He nodded silently at Luneth's worried statement, before he turned at Rydia and smiled, "Oh, don't worry. That was like totally, my fault! I'll help!"

Rui simply took one of his hands, covered with a cotton black glove, and simply swept the broken glass into the other hand. Most notably, there were several broken glass bits stuck to, practically embedded into the sweeping glove. Rui quickly walked over to the very close trash can and dumped the broken glass. He then quickly picked out several of the broken glass pieces that were still embedded in the gloved hand that had swept the pieces, before dropping them away in the trash can.

Needless to say, one reason that Rui always wore gloves was that touching Rui's bare hands directly would feel very strange to most biological humans. Rui obviously did not get paper cuts. Some said that Rui looked like a doll. He always found that amusing for being far more right than the speakers always intended.

"You moron!" Rydia wastes no time in swatting Rui over the head, scowling at him. "Seriously?! You could've gotten glass in your hands! You've got tea in your gloves too!" She moves back to the counter and tosses the kitchen towel at him. "Just...get the rest of it!"