03 – Easy
Being him wasn't as easy as it looked like.
He may look as impassive and uncaring as a person can be. He may look like he could care less about what people do. Well, unless it concerns himself or his well-being, he's fine. But that particular dark-haired man always, always does many troublesome things that made him wonder how he even managed to deal with him throughout the years.
It makes him also wonder if he should just simply ignore the man even just for a year – actually, a week of peace is more than what he could ask for.
Oliver was already twenty-two, and yet the man still had a habit of giving him troubles. Lin knew, though, that that habit was partly his fault. He couldn't help but get protective of the brooding man when he was told of the vision about his twin's death. It was tragic, too sudden and unwanted.
He had to protect the one who was left behind.
That one afternoon, both he and his wife were having a regular afternoon tea time with Oliver's parents. Five years had already passed, and they all thought that nothing could go worse after they found Eugene's body. When all of a sudden, a loud thud echoed from upstairs. His instincts got him standing and immediately climbed up the stairs towards the house's library.
He opened the door in a way that he distinctly thought that he damaged it. There, on his usual seat near the tall window, was a shell-shocked Oliver who tightly clutched a piece of paper in his hand. When he ran to his fallen figure, he saw that it was a picture. Koujo's mind immediately registered what happened.
A psychometric vision.
"Noll!" He yelled to get the other's attention. "Oliver!"
He finally took a deep breath, like it was his first after almost drowning.
What?
Koujou all but ripped the picture from the man's trembling hands. He then helped him sit back in the chair he fell on. Really, being him wasn't easy, but so was being Oliver. The dark-haired man closed his eyes as he focused on steadying his breathing.
"What happened!?" There then came the frantic shout from the entrance. Three pairs of hurried footsteps neared them. Each of their expressions was worried but careful as they studied the young man in front of them.
The man remained silent, standing up before proclaiming, "I'm going to Japan."
Was this a repeat of the tragedy they wanted to forget?
He heard the insistent denials that came after. He listened to the questions that almost felt like pleads. He knew that deep inside; the professor just didn't want to lose another son. Japan, after all, was the country that took Eugene's life, somewhat taking a part of Oliver with him to the afterlife.
When Oliver decided on something, he was the stubborn one, unlike his twin who could be swayed if one tried hard enough. He couldn't possibly let the man, still too young, to go alone to a country too full of bittersweet memories.
When they disembarked the plane, he insisted that they go first to their apartment. And they did, but as he was unpacking his luggage, the young man was already gone. He sighed and opted to continue unpacking as he felt too tired from the travel to even chase that man who still acted sometimes like a kid.
After an hour, everything was clean, arranged and done. He was ready to sleep, not minding to have dinner at all. Oliver already had keys to the apartment, so he shouldn't have anything to fret about. Well, not until his phone started ringing.
The tall man sighed heavily, anticipating another troublesome order from a particularly narcissistic man. He grabbed it and answered.
"Call them." No greetings, no nothing.
It would've been an easy thing to do if it wasn't for the fact that they left on unfavorable terms. "What should I say to them, then?" His brows furrowed as he inevitably surrendered.
He heard the slight jingle of keys on the other side of the phone. "That there is an important thing they should know if…if they care for that girl."
"Day, time and place?"
"On Monday, three in the afternoon at the office. They should know where that is."
After another sigh among the countless sighs he already made, he confirmed everything again before hanging up. He wasn't here as the man's guardian unlike before, but why was it that he felt like he was one again?
But now that he mentioned it, Oliver never indeed disclosed what he saw as he clutched that one picture inside the library. He knew it was about the brunette who somehow magically held a special place inside the young man's heart. And as usual, the reason they were here was that she's in trouble, yet again.
That brunette warmed his hardened feelings for the Japanese, seeing how compassionate and heartwarming she was to the people around her. Even if she was as troublesome as her boss, he started to care for her too, just as how he cared for the twins before.
Even when he was ordered to call the others, that didn't mean he'd call them as soon as he could. Maybe, tomorrow, but not tonight. He smirked as he silently celebrated being a bit rebellious. He climbed up his bed, tucked himself under the white covers, and slept peacefully.
Monday was still four days away, anyway.
On the southern part of the world, specifically in Australia, a baby-faced, blonde priest entered the airport with intentions of traveling back to Japan. He didn't have any specific reason as to why he was going back, but his instincts told him to do so.
After checking in his luggage, he went to find a seat while waiting for his flight. He scanned his bag for something to read, only to find a rose-colored book that was given to him by a grateful teen. He shrugged and opened it to read.
"The tragedy of the star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet."
-PauleenAnne
