3RD PERSON POV

August 15, 2019 

2:00 pm

Ocean started texting Mariah

"Hey, baby baby baby!"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go over to my parent's house? Tonight? At 8? For dinner?"

"Sure"

"You can finally meet my little brother!!"

"Nice. See you later my little sweetie pumpkin! <3"

"Stop calling me so many pet names!!!! >:(( just call me baby or smth"

"No promises >:D"

Ocean smiled and laughed. She set down her phone and got ready to shower

TIME SKIP 

7:00 pm

Ocean got ready for dinner. Earlier she asked if it was okay with her that she could tell her parents that she was dating her. She got permission so it was very important. She wore black dress pants and a white button-up with a floral pattern. She put on a black jacket and some black sneakers. She also brought her backpack with her electronics and 3 bags with gifts for her parents and brother. In her hands, she held Chat Noir, he had grown as long as Ocean's forearm

Ocean went over to Mariah's apartment. She was given her spare key so she opened it. "Bibi! I'm here!" She walked to her room and knocked

Mariah opened her bedroom door. She wore a white skirt and a black shirt. Simple but pulled off so well. She also held a bag with a bottle of wine in it. "Hey, pumpkin! You excited?" She asked. "I can't wait to meet your little brother. I hope your parent will like us dating," She said hopefully. She held Ocean's hand and they made their way to Ocean's car

They both drove to Ocean's parent's house. While driving, Mariah held Chat. It was a contemporary style home with 2 floors, a stone driveway with a yard next to it. The two of them were nervous. Once they parked, they knocked on the door and was immediately let in by Ocean's mom. Mariah still held Chat

"Oh my baby girl," Ocean's mom says. She hugged Ocean tightly. "I'm glad you girls could make it," She smiled and pulled from the hug before going to hug Mariah

Mariah gave Ocean the cat. "Thank you for inviting us, Mrs. Kaneko," Mariah said and pulled away from the hug after a few seconds. "I brought you guys a present, I hope you guys like wine" She handed her the bag

"We do, thank you," Mrs. Kaneko says. She took it from her hand. She led the two inside the house. The walls were painted white and the furniture was white, black, and gray. Ocean set down Chat to go play with Ocean's mom

On the couch, Ocean's little brother and dad sat. They were both doing a puzzle that stretched over most of the coffee table in front of them. They looked at up at Ocean and Mariah

Ryuuichi immediately got up off of the couch and ran to Ocean. He was picked up my Ocean and they hug. "Big sis!" He says. "I missed you! There is so much I want to tell you!" He was basically a ball of energy in her arms

"You can tell me all about it later," Ocean says. She carries Ryuuichi over to the couch where she sits down. She set down Ryuuichi down next to her. She looked at Mariah and motioned us to come over. "Hi dad," she asked

"How's my little dumpling doing?" Ocean's dad asked. He took a sip of his tea and set it down on the table next to the puzzle he was working on

"I've been good. I missed you guys. Especially Ryuu!" Ocean said. She tickled her little brother. "Besides that, I got a job at a high-end bar in LA, been looking5 for some small acting gigs, I started working out more, and, the most important part, I started dating someone," She looked at Mariah as they both held back a laugh

"Oh, you have now? What's his name?" He asks. He didn't notice the shocked look on his daughter's face when he said that

Ocean looked at Mariah. "W- well, I think it's best to tell you guys when your mouths are full and you can't say anything about it," She said and chuckled nervously

Her dad looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Well if you insist," He said. He took another sip of his tea as her little brother went to finish the puzzle

Ocean's mom went over to the couch. "Mariah, can you help me finish making dinner?" She asked with a smile. "We should let Ocean and her dad catch up," She led Mariah to the kitchen where they continued cooking some curry

Mariah cut up some vegetables while Ocean's mom prepared the chicken. "So, you and Ocean are really close, neighbors and high school friends," Ocean's mom said

"Yup, she's really great," Mariah said with a blush. "She's a great cook, she gives the best hugs, she's helpful, funny, kind, caring,  beautiful, a great singer," She could go on and on about Ocean

"The last time I heard someone talk about Ocean like that was when a boy picked her up for homecoming," Mrs. Kaneko said

"She's amazing," Mariah said. "I can't believe I ended up with a girl like her in my life,"

Mrs. Kaneko looked at Mariah. She realized that she wasn't just saying this because they were really good friends. She smiled and knew why Mariah was here. She accepted it. "Mariah dear, can you go help Ryuuichi set up the table?" 

"Yes ma'am," Mariah said

With Ocean and her dad. . .

"So, how's the business?" Ocean asks. She didn't really know how to talk to her dad anymore. When she lived with him, she was always closer to her mom than her dad. He was always in his office

"It's doing good. It's hard to control everything from here, it's only easy when we visit Japan," Mr. Kaneko says as he lets out a stressed sigh. "I can't even ask your mom for any help because she doesn't understand and she's always busy with her own business,"

"I wanted to help when I was younger, but you know what happened," Ocean said. She felt bad that she wasn't able to carry on the family business when she started to be interested in theater. But when Ryuuichi came along, she was happy that she would be able to do what she wanted. She did feel like that made her selfish but she knew if Ryuuichi didn't want to do it, she would put her dreams aside to let her little brother live his life since, by the time he grew up, she would have already lived hers

"I understand. At least we have Ryuuichi," Mr. Kaneko said. "Anyway, I hope you have a stable job soon, you can't just work at minimum wage forever, you went to college for a reason," 

"I know. I know," Ocean said. "I'm just trying to get by without your guy's support. Not that I don't appreciate it, I'm just trying to be on my own. Plus, the bar pays me like twenty dollars an hour," She had most of her life doing what her parents wanted her to do. College was her taste of freedom and now she's free to do what she wants to do

Mr. Kaneko nodded. "I need to go takes some calls, I'll be back for dinner," He said. He picked up his phone and walked out the door that leads to the backyard, leaving Ocean by herself in the living room since Ryuuichi left to go set up the table

Ocean stood up from the couch. She went to her old room. It had changed from the empty room she last saw it as. There was a queen bed with white sheets and navy blue pillows. The bedside table was black and it had a lamp and clock on it. The walls now had an abstract painting instead of her posters. There was also a black leather chair in the corner next to a small table with another lamp on it. She assumed her bathroom was the same, and the closet was empty. She sighed and left the room. Everything else in the house was the same

TIME SKIP

"Thank you for the meal," Ocean, Mariah, and Ryuuichi say. They all had finished eating their dinner

"So, there is a reason I asked to bring Mariah along with me," Ocean said. She held Mariah's hand under the table. She looked at her family, then back at Mariah with a smile. She started to silently count

"We're dating!" Mariah and Ocean say at the same time. They both smiled as Mariah kissed Ocean's cheek

Mrs. Kaneko smiled and clapped. "Congrats you two!" She said. But Ryuuichi and Mr. Kaneko had a different reaction 

Ryuuichi pushed his plate forward a bit. "Excuse me," He said as he got down from his chair. He walked to his room and shut the door

Mr. Kaneko stood up and slammed his hands on the table. The sound of slattering plates and silverware rang through the house. "You CAN'T be dating her. You are both girls! YOU are straight" He yelled as he pointed at Ocean. He started yelling curse words in Japanese. Thank god only Ocean and Mrs. Kaneko understood. He glared at Mariah before he stormed to his office, blinded my anger

Mariah burst into tears. "I knew this was a bad idea," She said in a soft voice

Ocean looked at Mariah. She hugged her tight. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen," She took full responsibility for her dad lashing out like that. It was her idea to telling her parents like this. So, therefore, it is her responsibility that her dad yelled

Mrs. Kaneko placed a hand on Ocean's shoulder. "Sweetie, why don't you go talk to your little brother and your father. I'll stay here and talk to Mariah," 

Ocean nodded. "I'll be right back baby," She said. She hugged Mariah one last time and kissed her cheek. She went directly to Ryuuichi's room. She knocked before letting herself in

Ocean looked around the room and remembered all the good memories she made in this room with her little brother. The last winter break Ocean had, she went and painted some stars and Ryuuichi's favorite things on the bed's headboard and footboard. And before Ryuuichi was born, it used to be her playroom as a kid and her hobby room as a teen. But she was more than happy that now a small human being occupied the room

Ryuuichi sat on his bed. He hugged a stuffed bear that Ocean gave to him when she came home from college. He didn't notice Ocean was standing in the doorway. "Kotarou, I don't umdersand. . " He said. Since he was just in pre-school, he couldn't pronounce words properly. He hugged the bear close

"Understand what?" Ocean asked. She walked over to him and sat down next to him

"Big sis!" Ryuuichi said. He looked up at her, still hugging his bear. "H- how are you and Mawiah dat ting?' He asked. He didn't understand because all he knew was straight couples

"Well. . ." Ocean started, she tried to find the right words to explain. "Well, we just are. We love each other very much," She couldn't explain it well but that was the basic gist of it

"Like how I love mommy?" Ryuuichi asked. He loosened his hold on the bear

"Yes, but no," Ocean said. "What you feel towards mother is family love. What I experience is romantic love, like what mother and father feel for each other. You might not understand this now but in the future, you will,"

Ryuuichi nodded. "So, you only like girls? Is it cause boys have cooties?" He asks. He set down his stuffed bear next to him on the bed, in between him and Ocean

Ocean was silent for a second before laughing. "No, I still like boys. But I also like girls. I'm bisexual. And I just realized you won't know what I'm talking about," She said. "So, depending on how things go, you could get an older brother or sister in law," She smiled at him

Ryuuichi nodded once more. "Okay, I umbersand now. Can I tell you about pre stool now?" He asked. He reached his arms up to reach for his big sister. 

Ocean stood up and picked him up. She spun him around for a bit, filling the room with laughs. "I need to go talk to father, I'll be back and then you can tell me about everything later. Okay?" She said

Ryuuichi smiled wide as he laughed. He nodded again. "Okay big sis!" He picked up his stuffed bear. "Come on Kotarou, let's play!"

Ocean smiled at the sighed of Ryuuichi still playing with the bear she gave him. She left the room and went over to her dad's office. She took a deep breath and knocked before going in. "Father. We need to talk," 

Mr. Kaneko looked at her. "I do not like that girl you brought. She's a seducer. She put her hooks in you and now you can't get out," He said. He stood up from his desk

"Father, she did not seduce me! We both liked each other so I asked her out. It was genuine!" Ocean said. She tried to keep her temper down because god knows when it's release there is no turning back

"What, so you're gay now? Is this really how you're coming out to me?" Mr. Kaneko said, anger seeped through his teeth and laced his words

"Yes! You're acting as if I'll never see a guy ever again! You want a proper coming out? Well, great news father, I'm bisexual! I like boys and girls! You know why I didn't tell you but I told Mother? It's because she understands! Out of all the activities I did as a kid you were the one who forced me to do most of them! Mother understood that's why I got to drop gymnastics and soccer! I barely had a social life because of you! And how I have friends and a girlfriend who support me! Now, what do you want to do? Take it away just cause your precious daughter isn't straight? It's 2019! Get with the times! Love is love! I'm not breaking up with Mariah. And if that means I won't have your financial support? Then fine. I'm happy with Mariah. And that's that," Ocean yelled. Tears spilled from her eyes. After all these years, she finally let it out

"Ocean just listen to me," Mr. Kaneko said

He was quickly cut off by Ocean. "I always listened to you! You never listened to me-"

Mr. Kaneko cut her off. "Ocean! Listen. To. Me!" He sternly said. "Sit down,"

Ocean grumbles and sits down. She crossed her arms, occasionally wiping her eyes from the tears that fell

"Ocean. I got mad because I thought you were straight. I thought Mariah had seduced you into being gay when you're not. I'm mad because you never told me," Mr. Kaneko said in a calm voice. He grabbed Ocean's hands. "I understand how you feel. I know how it feels to be forced into molding how others see you. They want you to be successful and have a loving wife and two kids. But you want to stray from that. Sometimes you can't help but feel flustered around your best friend. You want to hold his hand but you knew everyone would throw rocks at you. And you couldn't do that to him," 

Ocean looked at him. She suddenly regretted how she lashed out at her dad. Tears fell down even more

"I have been in your place before. In love with someone of the same gender and hoping no one in your family would find out," Mr. Kaneko sighed. "I'm sorry for making it seem like I didn't support you. I support you. I just didn't want to see you ruin yourself with someone you don't really love. And I'm sorry for making you live how I did. I promise I will try to not do that for Ryuuichi," He got up from his chair and hugged Ocean

Ocean froze for a second before hugging back. "Thank you father. . ." She said softly

The two of them cried, they understood each other even more now. They sat like that for a few minutes

Meanwhile, with Mariah and Mrs. Kaneko. . .

Mrs. Kaneko opened up the bottle of wine and poured a glass for the two of them

Mariah cried into her hands. "This was a mistake. Your husband hates me and now he hates Ocean and it's all my fault," She said

"Hey, it's alright. He might not be okay with it now but later one he will. He can't hate Ocean forever. She's his daughter and if he doesn't. Well, I have my ways of persuasion," Mrs. Kaneko said with a smile. She was scary in the 'smile while she threatens you' kinda way

Mariah looked up at Mrs. Kaneko. She saw how scary she looked and paused. "W- well that's reassuring," She said as she shook off the look on her face

Footsteps came from the hallways and there stood Ocean and Mr. Kaneko. When Ocean saw Mariah crying she rushed over to her

Mrs. Kaneko stood up from her chair and went over to her husband. She slapped his wrist for yelling at their daughter. She then brought her attention to Ocean and Mariah

"I'm so sorry baby," Ocean said. She hugged Mariah tight. "I sorted it all out, my dad isn't mad anymore," She kissed her forehead which was possible since Mariah was sitting down, making Ocean the taller one for once

Mariah let out a sigh of relief. "I love you pumpkin," She said. She cupped Ocean's cheeks and kissed her on the lips. She pulled away after a few seconds. "Oops, I almost forgot your parents are in the same room" She laughed

Ocean laughed and kept hugging Mariah

"Girls, I have a cake cooling in the fridge, would you like to decorate it?" Mrs. Kaneko asked

The two girls nodded and they decorated the cake with hearts and the colors of the bi and pan flag. And when they went home they ended up cuddling and falling asleep full of love