Quick Note:

If you are offended by someone making fun of emo culture, either piss off and read something else or suck it up.

Pop-Tarts & Wine

Tac looked at the various street signs with strained eyes. The rain came down hard, obscuring everything around him in veils of cold water droplets. To his luck, multiple colorful and eye-catching morning glories had crept up this sign he was looking for. No one else was stupid enough to drive in this weather; he didn't bother with the turn signal. He recognized the colorful tulip garden that Nyan had always bragged about when they went out for lunch with Pedo Bear (who always to go to McDonald's and sit in the PlayPlace area) in front and turned sharply into the empty driveway. Tac assumed she kept her car in the garage.

He stepped out of his Mustang and shut the door before the inside could be flooded. He didn't mind the rain, so he tilted his head down and walked to the porch slowly. He wondered if he should knock or ring the doorbell, but something told him she'd see him through the window and lock every entrance tight. With that thought, he picked up a decorative flower pot with some fruitless and expensive plant and found her spare key. She'd go ballistic if she knew someone knew it's location.

The key went into the keyhole, but turning it proved to be difficult. Tac tried turning the knob and twisting the key at the same time, which proved that the door was already unlocked. He stepped inside quickly and quietly, slipping his Nike 5.0's off next to the doormat. The entrance left of the door lead to the living room, the right lead to the kitchen and dining room, and up ahead was the staircase to the second story. Looking at his watch, Tac figured the girl would be fixing up some breakfast, but the kitchen was empty.

He peered into the dining room, but the no one sat at the table. One of the chairs had been pulled out and and a half-bottle of wine sat on its side. Tac investigated the scene, seeing that the bottle was Bubbly Moscato Rosé. A great brand, so he'd heard. He put the bottle back up, noticing that the lid was off. Once it had settled, Tac could see that a little more than half of the bottle had been drunk. There was no evidence of a spill, meaning that all of what was missing had been consumed and not carelessly wasted. Had she already eaten breakfast and gone off to hang out with Flappy? No way, she wasn't one of those people who could get up early by choice.

He headed to the living room and saw the figure of Nyan strewn lifelessly on the sofa facing the TV. On the coffee table was a small glass with two or three sips of the same wine in the kitchen left in it. He approached her and bent down to her open mouth, taking a whiff. The smell of alcohol was strong. Had she been drinking all night?

"God, Nyan!" he muttered to no one.

Tac felt some kind of emotion rise in him. Based on the face he made when he looked at her, he figured it was disappointment. He pulled a blanket off the chair on the other side of the room and draped it over her body before slipping his shoes back on and running to the drugstore down the road. Mr. Cage had everything set cheaper than most of the others. Of course, if you told him that, he'd slam his hands on the counter and shout, "You don't say?!"

It was quite rude, but Tac was a tolerant kind of guy.

He returned shortly with a plastic bag stuffed with goodies that would make his great uncle Felix jealous. He set out an appropriate dose of Aleve on the table and retrieved a glass and plate from the cabinets in the kitchen. He had bought a box of Pop-Tarts and warmed them in the toaster for a nice breakfast and topped it off with a glass of strawberry milk he stirred himself.

He set the meal next to the medicine and sat next to Nyan's sleeping form. He didn't want to disturb her, so he put some headphones in and scrolled through his iPhone's library. He looked at the albums and furrowed his brows. He had 32 gigs of memory, so he could afford to keep all of his music on his phone. He was just growing out of his "goth" stage, where he did nothing but sulk and listen to crap like Blood on the Dance Floor and Black Veil Brides. Only a week before had he donated a ton of old CD's and T-shirts (all of which were decorated with black, red, and death-related icons) to the local thrift shop.

He remembered when Nyan had started that stage. She had only enjoyed the emo trends for about three months before she got into J-pop and K-pop and whatever else Asia put on YouTube. As far as he knew, she was still into that. He gave it a shot, but he wanted to understand what the singer was saying without reading a translation a million times. She did look cute in the cos-play outfits she payed a ridiculous amount of money for, though.

He felt a kick at his leg and realized that the girl was waking up. She moaned at the pounding of her head and sat up slowly. She saw the table and immediately snatched the pills, swallowing them whole and rubbing her temples. She reached for the wine, but Tac stopped her. "Ah ah ah." he said as if he were talking to a child.

Nyan jumped, having not noticed his presence. Tac handed her the milk and took the wine from her. She blinked, but accepted the pink drink. Tac looked at the glass and shrugged, drinking it down. He raised a brow, it was a wonderful brand! Unlike his friend, Tac could handle alcohol in fairly large quantities. Nyan eyed him curiously.

"Aren't you gonna eat your breakfast?" he asked her, pointing to the plate of Pop-Tarts on the table.

A light grin graced the girl's features as she grabbed one of the pastries and took a heaping bite out of the top. Crumbs fell on the skirt of her dress, which had ridden up her thighs a bit. Tac frowned at her manners. "Don't eat so fast! You're making a big mess!" he scolded.

Nyan swallowed and looked up at him with her round, moist eyes glittering. Tac held his ground and continued his disapproving glare. The girl took a smaller bite and chewed slowly this time. Tac nodded and looked ahead. He noticed a hairbrush on the edge of the coffee table closest to him and began toying with it. He had almost forgot his reason for coming over. "Nyan," he said in a tone that made her jump, "how old are you?"

The girl swallowed what was in her mouth and looked up at him with those sparkling eyes once more. "Nineteen." she answered somewhat fearfully.

Tac spoke lowly for fear of making her head hurt from the hangover, but he didn't stop staring into her. "Where did you get that wine?" he asked.

Nyan averted her gaze. "From Flappy." she almost whispered.

Tac rolled his eyes. Flappy Bird was a thief, taking things that weren't his just because he "felt like it". He was always convinced that his way was the right way, even though it was unnecessarily difficult and frustrated everyone that had to deal with him. "You are under the legal drinking age," Tac stated, "you know that, right?"

Nyan nodded and felt the guilt fall over her. "Yeah."

Tac tucked his phone in his pocket and turned to look at her more closely. "You weren't with anyone last night, were you?" he asked.

Nyan looked at him with her innocent orbs aglow. She shook her head furiously. "Why were you drinking?" he asked her.

She seemed upset by this question for some reason. "Me and Pikky had a fight." she said.

Tac saw a tear leave her eye before she turned back around. She and Pikachu had been dating for a while now, but it was clear from the beginning that the relationship was a long-shot. "What about?" he asked her.

She hesitated before answering in a shaky voice. "H-He wanted Derpy Hooves over me!"

Once the sentence left her lips, she exploded in tearful sobs. Tac didn't like seeing her so upset. He wrapped an arm around her and hugged her close. "You could've done better than him anyway." he said, petting her head.

Nyan perked up, looking for sincerity in her opposite's blood red gaze. Tac gave her a reassuring smile and used his thumb to wipe her tears away. "I was concerned about how well you were taking the break up," he explained, "so I came to check on you."

"How did you know?" Nyan whispered.

Tac unlocked his phone and pulled up Snapchat. A few taps and he was looking at a picture of Derpy and Pikachu drinking a beer with two straws. "I was also wondering if he'd actually broken up with you or not. I thought the little blond rat might be cheating and not telling."

Nyan sighed and leaned into Tac's embrace once more. "It was stupid to try something with him." she admitted.

"Compassionate people are willing to look past the outside and wait for someone's true colors to shine through." Tac encouraged. "Unfortunately, this guy was a bitter son of a bitch through and through."

Nyan laughed at that. "Thanks," her gentle voice was muffled by his shoulder. "for coming to see me. It was nice of you."

Tac wasn't big on tender hugs stuffed with fluff. He nodded and stood up. "I've gotta go to work." he said, adjusting his jacket. "The rest of the Pop-Tarts are on the dining room table if you want some for lunch."

Nyan jumped when he suddenly placed his hands on her shoulders. "Nyan Cat," he said with the seriousness of a parent, "never ever drink like that again, do you understand me?"

Nyan felt a shiver run up her spine as she looked at the seriousness in his eyes. She nodded, but couldn't look away from him. "Okay, onii-chan." she smiled, understanding his concern.

Tac flinched at that word. She had started calling him that one day and never stopped. He looked the term up, eventually spelling it correctly and finding out that it was a Japanese term someone used when they were talking to their brother. In a way, it was their equivalent to "Bubba". So she was still into that stuff. He decided to hurry and leave before she had him wearing a matching outfit and posting a picture on DeviantArt with her.

He broke the hug and slipped his shoes on. "Take care, Sis." he said and offered a gentle smile before heading back out in the rain.

Author's Note:

I may continue this as a drama series depending on the story's reviews and popularity in general. I might make a few spin-offs based on what happened to the other characters mentioned (Flappy Bird, Pikachu, and Derpy Hooves) if you say "pretty please" with sprinkles on top.