Welcome back!
After I posted the last chapter I started to worry it felt rushed and short, and looking at word count it's actually the shortest chapter. I think that's because it was the first chapter for the fic's return, so I wasn't in the same 'mindset' as I had been for the previous chapters. I kinda had to find the rhythm again so to speak. So I feel like the chapter suffered for that, but it seems like it was well received tho, so I didn't need to worry! I also feel like this chapter is where I'm officially back in the proper groove, but there's also a lot I wanted to put in this chapter and I didn't want to move anything around, so it might feel a bit cramped and 'all over the place'. Apologies in advance if that is the case and I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! I actually had a lot of fun with this one!
"Thoughts on him?"
Lawless turned off the sink and dried his hands off. The blonde looked over at Wor, who was sitting on the counter with an open beer can in his hand.
"Not what I expected, that's for sure. Nyash has got no chance." Lawless responded.
"Aw, not even gonna give him the benefit of the doubt?" Wor jokingly asked before taking a sip of his beer.
"C'mon, this is Ash we're talking about." Lawless said as he moved over to start putting plates in the cabinet. "That Mahi guy seems like such a ray of sunshine. He'd get annoyed with Ash before the week is over. I'd bet on that."
"Mn." Wor put his beer down on the counter. "Yeah but, you an' Licht hated each other day one an' look what happened just a few days later. Maybe the guy'll be good for him."
Lawless side eyed his little brother. "I didn't hate Angel day one. Not like you paid much attention to all that back then anyway."
World End groaned at the insult.
"But Ash isn't like me or Angel." Lawless continued as he went to put the silverware away. "I didn't keep things from Angel either. Ash is bold faced lying to the guy and he doesn't suspect a thing. What'll happen when one day he does start askin' too many questions and Ash can't keep the cat in the bag? He wouldn't want anything to do with Ash after hearing the truth."
Wor thought for a moment, which he didn't really want to do, but the conversation took a sudden serious turn and he wanted to make sure he said the right thing. He picked up his beer and took another sip before opening his mouth.
"Which truth are ya talkin' about?"
Lawless's hands froze.
"Wh- uh, all of them, obviously. As soon as anyone finds out they always turn on us. Even Angel was against us initially. And when it comes to Ash specifically, who would wanna be with a… a killer?"
"There's plenty o' people that don't turn on us." Wor corrected the blonde with a shrug. "Guil for one. Licht warmed up to us too. An' there's that Al-whatever family. They've always supported us. There's all Tsubaki's friends too. Special mention to that Shamrock creep. An' can't forget our ol' brother-in-law."
Lawless finished putting the silverware away and closed the drawer.
"And they've got the rest of their lives to turn on us until they die."
Wor looked away from his brother and drank his beer.
"Ya need to get rid of that mentality, man." Wor muttered.
Lawless looked at the younger man in silence and Wor only side eyed him. There was some kind of serious expression on the blonde's face, but Wor couldn't tell if he was annoyed, or angry, or something else entirely.
"I mean, what's the point anyway?" Wor thought aloud. "If humans cause so much crap for us then just don't talk to 'em. Okay, kinda shitty for me to say since we got Guil, but, ya know me, man. He's really the only one. The most I do is talk to clerks at the store or the waiter at the bar an' shit like that. I don't mingle or whatever. Marryin' a guy means it'll hurt when he dies. Keepin' shit a secret means it'll hurt when they learn the truth. Learnin' the truth means it'll hurt if they betray ya. Just… don't do that shit then. Ya can't get hurt if ya don't ever do shit. Hell, we could all probably learn a thing or two from Doubt. Maybe lockin' ourselves in our rooms forever really is the best way to deal with all this."
Lawless remained silent for a moment before hopping onto the counter to sit with his brother.
"You really see it that way?"
"Hell nah."
Lawless practically flinched and stared at his little brother with wide eyes.
"I may not go out an' try to make friends with every person out there, but that don't mean I don't love life. It frickin' sucks seein' regulars grow old an' die an' a young guy take their place. I don't even know those people, but I sure as hell notice 'em missin' after five decades of 'em bein' there. Not a single human being that was alive when I was brought here is still around today. That's messed up to think about. No one in my home village is alive either. If I could go back, I'm scared it'll hurt to not see a single familiar face. It'd be like they all got replaced with strangers. It wouldn't… It wouldn't be my home anymore. But, goddamnit, that's not gonna stop me from experiencin' shit. I got the rest of forever to live. That's forever to waste if I were like Doubt or Ash. I wanna see what's happenin' out there. I wanna join in. I wanna go places an' see shit! But we can't do that… So I gotta make the most of my situation so I'm not layin' there like a damn bump on a log hopin' the one thing that could kill me turns out to be the frickin' sun explodin'. Isn't that why… we make music? So even if… we can't leave this place, at least the feelings in our hearts can."
Lawless's gaze dropped to the floor. Wor never really talked about his own thoughts and feelings much. Most of the family assumed he was just fine with whatever. He really did appear to be the most well adjusted. And in truth, he was. He wasn't hiding his feelings like Love, he wasn't nearly as traumatized as Doubt or Tsubaki, and he wasn't carrying around emotional baggage like The Mother. Since he had accepted the situation he was in, he simply didn't really have much to say about it. He just did whatever he wanted to within the confines of what he was capable of. Wor really made the best out of their situation.
"Aarggh!" Wor groaned and rubbed the back of his head before chugging the last of his beer. "Ahhh, what was this all about again?!"
Lawless sighed. It also probably had something to do with how Wor was the dumbest in the family.
"Oh, right!" Wor exclaimed. "So, like, do whatever it takes for you to be happy in this kinda life! If that means minglin' with humans and puttin' your faith in them then just be prepared for the possibility that it's gonna backfire on ya! Hookin' up with one could be nice, I wouldn't know. I've never been in a relationship. But, ya gotta be prepared for when they die. It's not about avoidin' gettin' hurt even once in your life, it's about bein' able to go on afterward an' not regret the past."
"Hmph." A small smile appeared on Lawless's face. "That's pretty philosophical comin' from your dumb ass."
"Hey, I tried really hard on that!" Wor shouted in embarrassment. "A-and then the words just kept goin'."
"Would be nice if you could try that hard with helping me come up with lyrics." Lawless teased.
"Knock it off, man! Ya know I don't like all that 'boo-hoo pourin' my heart out' bullcrap!" Wor demanded.
An arm slung around the younger brother's shoulders and he stared at his big brother in slight confusion.
"You're missin' one small detail though." Lawless said.
"Hm?"
"Don't forget about family. No matter who hurts any of us we'll always keep living. We'll all be right here in this house to support each other. It may suck and it may be cramped in here, but we're all in the same boat. We're all each other got, so we gotta stick together." The blonde said with a big smile.
Wor smiled back, but it soon disappeared. "Ah, but you don't really think that, do ya?"
"H-huh?! What the hell kinda thing is that to say?" Lawless complained and furrowed his brow.
"Ya say we gotta support each other even when we get snippy at each other, but then ya go an' treat Ash the way ya do." Wor explained with another shrug.
Lawless just stared at Wor. He hated to hear that, but it was true and that was why it jutted him so much. Lawless loved his siblings more than anything, they were all he had left after all, and yet it was Ash that he continued to treat so horribly despite that. As much as he teased Tsubaki, he didn't even dislike the youngest brother. Tsubaki was just plain annoying. But Ash was the one he had something against. Lawless had lost so much in his life, and to have his own big brother tear another thing away from him, by choice no less, it practically killed him.
Ash didn't have to do it. There were so many other ways the situation could have been dealt with. Killing him wasn't the only option. None of them knew him like Lawless did anyway. He wasn't in their lives the same way he was in Lawless's. No matter how he treated the rest of them, Lawless knew deep down he was a good man. He was even good to Tsubaki from what the youngest talked about. It was just so cruel and unnecessary. Lawless always wondered how Ash could do it. Lawless was so certain that no matter what, he really did love them all. So why couldn't Ash see that? Why couldn't Ash love him regardless too?
"Ash… is the exception." Lawless muttered.
Now that wasn't what Wor expected to hear. Lawless's grudge went deeper than he thought. Was there any way to fix it? Wor wasn't even sure it was his business to mess with. He may have had a hat in the ring on the matter, but he wasn't the one that was mad at Ash. The whole situation was unfortunate, but at the end of the day Wor didn't hold it against Ash. It was three to three anyway so it wasn't like the stance was Ash's and Ash's alone. Wor simply accepted that what happened was going to happen. There was no changing it after the fact.
The man didn't even mean as much to Wor as he did to Lawless anyway. He was kind of strict back then and that got them on each other's bad side more often than not. He was gone a lot too, so it wasn't like Wor really bonded with him all that much. But that didn't erase who he was to Wor. A chance to fix things and be a real family would have been nice, but that just wasn't the direction things turned down and Wor chose to accept that.
Unlike Lawless.
On the other side of the wall, The Mother stood in silence as she listened. She didn't mean to, but she didn't want to interrupt her brothers so she continued to stand there where she happened to be able to hear everything. They were both rather loud anyway.
She wasn't sure what to think. She never bothered with Lawless's grudge against Ash, but she was at least glad to hear World End had deeper insight on things than he led on. She needed to stop worrying about him so much. It was time for her to worry about others in the family now. After all, her brothers were right, they were family. They were all each other had. No matter what humans came and went, it would always be the siblings that remained together. She couldn't let her family fall apart right before her eyes.
Taking the risk, The Mother stepped forward and walked by the main room. Lawless and Wor looked up to see her pass by in the hall, but since she didn't bother to check on them, the pair only glanced at each other.
She continued upstairs and stopped at the top of the stairs when she heard a voice.
"Damn it, Ash! Why do you have to make this so difficult?!"
The Mother's eyes widened as she realized it was coming from Ash's room, and it wasn't Ash's voice. She mentally cursed herself for accidentally overhearing two private conversations in such quick succession. She didn't want to check on the two in case she would be interrupting something personal, but it still made her worried regardless. What was Ash making difficult? Well, he did make everything difficult. Mahiru definitely had his work cut out for him trying to get through to Ash of all people. It would be tough, but she wished Mahiru luck if he chose to get closer to Ash.
Not wanting to overhear any longer, The Mother moved on a bit down the hall to the room next to her own. The door before her was decorated with a fancy pink name plate reading 'All Of Love'. It was tacky, but it fit the second youngest's style perfectly.
She hesitated to knock, wondering why she couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew she scared him and she didn't get the chance to apologize, so why was it so hard to do so now? Would he reject her apology? Was he already too afraid of her again? She had no way of knowing and that was what troubled her most. She couldn't know until she asked, and if she asked he might give an answer she didn't like. But perhaps there was no need to ask. If she just apologized and left it at that then that was all it needed to be. They could go back to normal then.
Right?
The Mother lifted her hand up, and forced her hand to knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
She couldn't open her mouth so she just knocked again.
There was a moment of silence before the door opened and All Of Love stood in front of her. He seemed surprised to see his sister there. Without a response he assumed it was Doubt at the door. Before Love could even say anything to her, she suddenly hugged him. It made the blonde tense up at first, but after a moment he managed to calm himself.
"You're my little brother and I love you." The Mother said in a gentle tone.
Love's eyes widened as he stared down at his sister.
"We're family so we have to stick together, no matter what."
She then quickly pulled away from him and turned to leave down the hall, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her.
"Please wait." Love said.
The Mother didn't want to yank her hand away from him so she just stood there.
"I love you too, but… what's this about?" He asked.
She glanced down the hall before looking over her shoulder at her brother.
"I scared you." She answered.
She could see a hint of pain appear on Love's face before quickly being replaced by a fake smile.
"Oh… you didn't scare me." He lied. "What gave you that idea?"
The Mother tried to keep her expression blank. If the same look as before showed on her face, then it might make things worse.
"I know what it looks like when you're scared of me. I haven't… forgotten that."
Love's smile disappeared.
"I… don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. I'm… sorry I scared you."
The blonde's eyes widened again.
"Sister! No, you don't… need to apologize. I shouldn't have been so quick to invite Mahiru over. It was a spontaneous decision, but… I really should have discussed it first. I should have minded my words as well. I didn't consider the weight my words might have had. So, it was my fault."
The Mother felt a twinge in her chest. He was always so quick to put the blame for things on himself. It was irritating in a way. He didn't care what he took responsibility for so long as it helped descalate the situation. It was like he had no regard for himself.
"You were… trying to help Ash. You didn't mean anything bad by it. I shouldn't have reacted in a way that upset you either. I should've known to be more careful about that."
"Oh, but-..." Love paused, realizing apologizing back would just make them get stuck in a loop. "We're both sorry, so why don't we just put it behind us. Like you said, we're family. So we shouldn't let things get in between us."
"Yeah, family." His sister repeated.
"Okay?"
Love smiled and she could tell it was a genuine one.
"Okay."
"Oh! I completely forgot! Child and I have been watching this new drama show and the next episode airs tonight. I think at seven. You should watch it with us! We can fill you in on the previous episodes." Love cheerfully suggested.
The Mother felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders as everything returned to normal.
"That'd be lovely, but… I think Child's down for a nap right now." She responded.
"Ohhh…" Love pouted for a moment before smiling again. "Well, it's not until seven so he'll probably be awake again by then. Knowing him he'd probably want to be woken up so he doesn't miss it anyway. Oh! And what about including Ash and Mahiru?"
The Mother glanced down the hall at Ash's door.
"I don't think… he would want us disturbing them right now." She said.
Love flashed a curious expression as he also looked down the hall.
"Hmmm… are they having private time?"
The way the words snaked their way out of Love's mouth made The Mother smack her brother in the arm and he yelped in response.
"Why do you always have to be like that…" She grumbled.
The sound of a door creaking behind them made the pair of siblings look over their shoulders together. The hallway wasn't well lit, but they could see a red glow peaking out a bit past the door at the end of the hallway. Neither sibling seemed disturbed by the sight.
"I didn't hit him hard, Doubt." The Mother said.
"It only hurt a little, hehe. I'm okay! Thanks for worrying though!" Love added as he rubbed his arm slightly where his sister hit him.
The door then started to creek as Doubt began to close it.
"Oh, but wait! Would you like to join us in the living room to watch-"
Doubt slammed his door shut before Love could finish talking.
"Hm. He usually never refuses my offers to do stuff." Love said.
"Because you always force him." The Mother stated.
Love just giggled in response and his sister didn't know how to interpret that. Without another word she began walking down the hall towards the stairs and Love closed his bedroom door before following after her. As she walked by, she glanced at Ash's door, almost expecting to hear something again. No sound came from behind the eldest brother's door before The Mother was out of hearing range, and so she got no answer as to what Ash and Mahiru might have been up to. She only hoped the night didn't end badly for either of them.
The Ash household fell silent as everyone settled in for the night. Love and The Mother sat together in the living room while Lawless and World End relaxed in the den. Doubt and Tsubaki remained silent in their rooms, Tsubaki specifically waiting for a few friends to arrive. Old Child, Ash, Kuro, and Mahiru slept peacefully across the hall from each other. Unfortunately, that peace didn't last much longer in Ash's room.
"Brrrriing! Brrrriing!"
Kuro was first to lift his head up at the sound, but ultimately put his head back down and tried to ignore it. Just a moment later, Mahiru quickly woke up and shifted a hand around behind him on the bed in mild confusion. Not finding what he was looking for, he tried to sit up, but something was holding him in place.
Right, it was Ash. He had his arms around Mahiru and held the brunet close to himself. Mahiru rubbed his eyes to see properly and gently grabbed Ash's arm to remove it from around himself. Ash remained asleep as Mahiru sat up and lifted the blanket up to look under it.
Mahiru then realized how stupid he was being. Of course his phone wouldn't be on the bed, it wasn't his own room he was in. Leaning over a bit, Mahiru saw his bag on the floor and moved over so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He grabbed his bag off the floor and rummaged around in it for his cellphone. Thankfully he found it before he missed the call, but then went into mild shock when he realized it was his uncle calling. Mahiru glanced back at Ash as he answered the call. With the ringing finally over, Kuro yawned and looked up to watch Mahiru.
"Hey, Uncle." Mahiru answered in a soft voice so he wouldn't risk waking up Ash.
"Mahiru, hey! You're normally home before I am! You out with friends?"
"Oh, uh, kinda. I was out with Koyuki, Ryusei, and Sakuya, and Ash was with us. Sorry I didn't tell you, but one of Ash's brothers asked me over for dinner so I'm at his place right now." Mahiru explained.
There was a long pause of silence on the other end of the line and Mahiru had to wonder if his uncle was still there.
"Uncle?"
"Uh, sorry, sorry. Um, and where is his place?"
"South end of town. There's like, no other houses here. Well, there are, but I can assure you no one else is living over here. It's kinda weird. But, I'm okay. His family's kinda strange, but they're nice people." Mahiru said.
"You said… one of his brothers? How, uh, how many are there?"
"With Ash there's seven and one sister, so eight. Oh, plus his cat." Mahiru reached over to scratch Kuro behind the ear and the cat purred in response.
Once again there was a long pause from Toru and Mahiru started to get concerned. Was his uncle just worried since he had never met Ash before? Or did something bad happen that had his uncle's attention?
"You okay, Uncle?" Mahiru asked.
"Oh, yeah, yeah! Just, uh, long day at work. Hard to think, heh. So, uh, what time are you coming home?"
"I was thinking nine. What time is it now? I, uh, haven't been paying attention to the time." Mahiru decided to leave out the fact that he took a nap with Ash in the man's bed.
"It's a bit past eight now, so-"
"It's eight?!" Mahiru exclaimed in shock before quickly shoving his hand over his mouth and looking back at Ash to see if he woke up the man.
Ash didn't move and Mahiru let out a sigh of relief, but when he looked away, Ash opened his eyes.
"Uh, yeah? Considering the drive there and back if you wanna be home by nine I should probably come and get you now. I don't want you walking all the way home on that end of town by yourself at night."
"You can't trust me to walk home by myself? Ash could walk with me too. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Mahiru refuted.
Toru didn't want to explain his concerns to his nephew.
"I would just feel better coming to get you, Mahiru."
"I could get Sis to take you home."
Mahiru tensed up and slowly looked over his shoulder to see Ash sit up in the bed. The man's hood slipped off his head and he brushed some of his blue hair out of his eyes, which couldn't seem to even glance in Mahiru's direction.
"Uh, um, but, uh…" Mahiru couldn't think of anything to say.
"Seriously, it's fine. Wouldn't it be more of a pain for your uncle to drive here and back than for my sister to drive there and back anyway?" Ash assured him.
Mahiru didn't know how to explain to him that that was basically the same thing.
"Uh, is that him, Mahiru?"
"Oh, y-yeah! I, uh, guess his sister could just drive me home if that's okay." Mahiru said.
It wasn't really okay to Toru, but the alternative wasn't okay to Ash. If Toru came to their house he might find out who the family really was and then forbid Mahiru from ever seeing Ash again. Little did Ash know that Toru already figured it out.
"Yeah… that's okay."
Mahiru noticed that his uncle's tone sounded rather serious. He really hoped nothing at work was bothering Toru.
"Okay, I'll… see you at home then, Uncle." Mahiru responded.
"Yeah. See you soon. Bye."
Toru hung up without waiting for a response and Mahiru just stared at his phone. Ash didn't know if he should say something, so he just pulled his hood back over his head.
"I didn't wake you up, did I?" Mahiru asked.
"No. Your phone did." Ash said.
"Sorry. It woke me up too." Mahiru replied.
"Hn."
It fell silent between them and neither were sure if they should get up. Mahiru stared across the room at Ash's closet and Ash kept his eyes focused on his window.
"Are you okay?"
Ash glanced at the back of Mahiru's head.
"Did the nap not help?" Ash dodged the question.
"It did actually. But did it help you?"
"It wasn't for me."
Mahiru let out a silent sigh.
"I'm sorry this turned out weird." Ash apologized.
"You didn't do anything wrong. Just…" Mahiru turned around to face Ash. "Just know I'm the kind of person that'll be there for everyone no matter what. Even you. If you ever wanna talk about anything, and I mean anything, I'll listen. I trust you, Ash."
Ash and Mahiru looked at each other and their eyes met. Ash was the first to break eye contact and he stared at the end of his bed.
That wasn't true. Mahiru couldn't know for certain that he trusted Ash until he knew everything about Ash. And if he knew everything then he sure as hell wouldn't trust Ash after that.
Not wanting to start up the same exact problem they had before, Ash simply nodded in response.
"I'll go tell Sis she needs to take you home." He said.
Without another word between them, Ash stood up and walked around the bed to his door. Kuro glanced at Mahiru before jumping off the bed and following after Ash as the man walked out of the room. Mahiru just sat there for a moment before standing up and placing his bag on Ash's bed.
In the hall, Ash walked to the door next to Old Child's room and knocked twice. A moment passed and he got no response so he knocked again. Thinking his sister wasn't in her room, Ash turned to head downstairs. He felt a grip on his leg as Kuro climbed up to lay on his shoulder.
"Mn, oh my god, no. Amélie was not justified." Love denied as he placed his drink down on the coffee table.
"Really? Come on, Love. It was a little much, I'll admit that, but she couldn't let Anastasia get away with it. No one else was going to do anything about it." The Mother argued.
"But that's the point. It was too much! Going that far was uncalled for and destroyed any justification she had." Love refuted.
"But imagine being in Amélie's place. She was hurt. She was acting more on emotions than we could see because she refused to even talk to Marcus. We didn't get to see the depth of her pain, but that doesn't mean it wasn't strong enough to make her go that far." The Mother explained.
A knock on the wood of the door frame caught their attention.
"Evening, ladies."
The pair looked over to see Ash enter the room and walk up to stand behind the couch.
"Oh, Ash! Where's Mahiru?" Love asked.
"In my room. Uh, but, I need you to drive him home, Sis." Ash said.
"Now, or…?" The Mother responded.
"In, like, a few minutes."
"Okay. Go get him then."
"Aw, Mahiru's leaving already?" Love whined.
"Well, it is getting late." His sister commented.
"Yeah, his uncle called. It's best he goes now than wait any longer." Ash said.
"Well, I hope he enjoyed his stay."
Ash and The Mother just stared at their little brother. Ash highly doubted that and The Mother had to wonder what the context was of Mahiru's words she heard earlier. It seemed almost like an argument, but she had no way of knowing who was mad at who if that was the case.
"I did actually. Thanks for inviting me."
As if on cue, Mahiru walked into the room and the trio of siblings turned their attention to him. Ash immediately noticed Mahiru was back in his school uniform. He must have changed after Ash left the room. It was a bit of a disappointment to Ash. He would have been fine with Mahiru borrowing, or even keeping, the shirt. Of course, that was only because seeing Mahiru in his shirt was a beautiful sight to behold though.
"Oh, Mahiru! It was nice having you over and you're always welcome back whenever you like! I would love for everyone to come say bye, but… that would be a bit of a hassle." Love said.
Mahiru shook his head. "It's okay! Just tell them I said it was nice meeting them."
Love smiled and giggled. "Will do."
"Alright then," The Mother stood up from the couch and stretched her arms out. "let's get you home now, Mahiru. You'll have to tell me where I'm going."
The brunet nodded as he and Ash followed her out of the main room. Ash was a bit confused as to why Love was following them as well, but perhaps he just wanted to see Mahiru off. Behind the group, Lawless and Wor watched over their shoulders from down the hall in the den. They felt too lazy to get off the couch, but still wanted to see Mahiru off as well. Before anyone could get to the door first though, there was a heavy knock on the other side, making everyone stop in their place.
"Nobody touch it, it's for me!"
By the sound of the voice upstairs, the siblings could tell it was Tsubaki. They could hear his sandals clear as day as he sprinted down the hall and stairs until he nearly slammed into the wall and quickly grabbed the door handle to fling it open.
Mahiru didn't recognize the man standing on the other side of the door. He was somewhat tall with a white suit, incredibly light hair, and an eye patch over his right eye. Behind him, a pink haired man with glasses popped up from the side and flashed a big grin. Mahiru could hear a huff come from All Of Love.
"I'm gonna go out for a bit! Don't wait up! We'll be safe!" Tsubaki rapidly shouted as he nudged the tall man aside so he could bolt out the door.
He almost slammed it shut, but The Mother grabbed it and opened it back up.
"We're leaving too, Tsubaki." Her voice almost sounded irritated, but no one could be sure if she was actually annoyed or not.
"Hm?" Tsubaki turned around and stepped aside. "Oh, taking Mahiru home?"
The Mother walked outside and motioned for Mahiru and Ash to follow her, which they did. Love just stayed at the door and leaned against the door frame. He and the pink haired man seemed to glare at each other.
"Yeah, I'm going home now. Bye Tsubaki, and, uh, hi Tsubaki's friends." Mahiru said as he walked off the porch.
Outside, he could see there were more people than he initially thought. Sitting at the table on the porch was a woman with almost lavender colored hair and leaning against the house was a redheaded man smoking a cigarette. All of them except the man in the eye patch waved at Mahiru.
As Ash walked by them, Shamrock placed a hand on his shoulder, and Kuro hissed at him. Ash stood still, but felt the urge to smack the man's hand away for even daring to touch him.
"Sloth, if I may have a moment of your time…" Shamrock whispered as he leaned in close to Ash.
Tsubaki and Higan watched them with curiosity while Otogiri paid it no mind and Belkia and Love continued to stay focused on each other. Ash watched as his sister and Mahiru walked away without him towards the car.
"You remember young Lilac, yes?" Shamrock continued. "He came home with a rather… painful injury today. You didn't happen to… have anything to do with that, did you?"
Ash nearly forgot about Lilac being present earlier. He also completely forgot about the black eye that Sakuya gave him during the soccer game. Whatever story Lilac told, the kid sure didn't leave out the detail that Ash was there.
"Why don't you ask that to the guy that was supposed to walk him home."
Shamrock could feel the hatred oozing out of Ash's words. He knew immediately who Ash was referring to, but no one else present had any idea what they were talking about. Ash pulled his shoulder away from Shamrock and walked away to head to his sister's car. Shamrock simply stared at Ash until his eye glanced over to Mahiru, who was getting into the car.
"Something happen to Lilac?" Tsubaki wondered.
"Just a small injury around his eye from playing a game. Nothing for you to worry about, young master." Shamrock responded. "But… might I ask who that boy is?"
"That's Mahiru, uh…"
"Shirota. Mahiru Shirota." Love completed for Tsubaki, still not taking his eyes off Belkia.
"Yeah, Mahiru whatever! He's a human that Ash likes. Don't tell him I said that though!" Tsubaki explained, then laughed at how ridiculous it sounded.
Shamrock raised a brow at the name. "Shirota, hm…"
Tsubaki looked from Shamrock to Belkia. "Sooo… not even a hello for the love of your life, Beru?"
"Yeah, hi, Tsu-Tsu." Belkia said without even so much as glancing at Tsubaki.
"Can we leave now? This is getting embarrassing." Otogiri requested.
"Yes, why don't you take the skank here and leave now, Tsubaki?" Love agreed with a not so innocent smile on his face.
"Skank?! You're the skank!" Belkia exclaimed.
"Tramp."
"Slut!"
"Hussy."
"Whore!"
"Harlot."
"Cunt!"
"Ladies, ladies, please. You're both beautiful. There's no need to fight." Higan interrupted them and placed a hand on a shoulder for both of them.
Love and Belkia both shot a look of pure vitriol at the older man, however Love's face still held a smile on it while Belkia looked like he was ready to stab someone. Belkia smacked Higan's hand away and Love gently removed his other hand, but held onto it.
"Don't. Ever. Touch me again." Love warned in a calm voice.
He squeezed Higan's hand just tight enough that the man bit down on the cigarette hanging out of his mouth and tried not to show how much pain he was in.
"D-d-d-duly n-n-noted…" Higan barely managed to properly speak through the pain in his fingers.
"Good! Have fun Tsubaki! Don't stay out too late, and as always, stay away from C3!" Love cheerfully said before quickly walking back into the house and shutting the door.
"That was embarrassing…" Otogiri commented.
"Agh, tell me about it." Higan grumbled as he rubbed his sore hand. "Seems like a sweetheart, but he's definitely no pushover."
Belkia let out a dramatic huff. "Who the hell does that bitch think he is?!"
"You picked a fight with him first, remember?" Tsubaki said as he pat Belkia on the back. "Anyway, Sham, where's Sakuya?"
Shamrock watched The Mother's car back up and drive onto the road before he turned around.
"He couldn't make it. Trouble with the parents was his excuse." The man explained.
"Hn. Shame."
Otogiri noticed a serious expression form on Tsubaki's face before his usual smirk quickly returned.
"Well, let's get going! I've got a good story I wanna tell you guys!"
Tsubaki let out a chuckle and hopped off the porch. His little quartet walked down the steps to follow after him as he headed towards the road.
Compared to the energy back at the house, the inside of The Mother's car was dead silent. Mahiru and Ash sat in the back, both of them facing towards the window on their side and staring out at the buildings they passed by. The Mother glanced in her rear view mirror at the boys, recognizing that something felt tense inside the car. Hoping to lighten the mood, she turned on the radio and seventies music began playing in the car. Ash wanted to groan at hearing a love song start and Mahiru just thought the fact that The Mother listened to seventies music was surprising.
"Well…" The Mother started, not quite sure where she wanted to go with her words. "Sorry it was on such short notice, but I really hope you had a nice time, Mahiru."
"That's okay, I really did have a good time. Your cooking is seriously really good too." Mahiru responded.
The Mother had to wonder if Mahiru was just lying about having a good time and Ash really thought he was. Of course she couldn't ask about what happened in Ash's room while Mahiru was still in the car, but she truly hoped she just misunderstood what she heard.
The car fell quiet again aside from the radio. As they drove further into town Mahiru took notice of how weak that feeling in his chest he had was now. When he was walking to Ash's house there was such a strong feeling inside him that pulled him towards the house, but as the minutes passed in the car, that feeling grew smaller and smaller. It almost made Mahiru want to go back, and yet, it still felt like some of that feeling was right next to him. Was it some form of regret he was feeling? It was a sort of fuzzy feeling, so he couldn't imagine it was something negative. It only made him uncertain. Did he want to go back to Ash's house to fix things, or did he want to return to his own home so he could forget about it? He honestly didn't want to leave, but if fixing things with Ash was really impossible, then it would only hurt to stay there.
Ash, on the other hand, simply kept his mind blank. He didn't want to think about anything. He didn't want to acknowledge he was in the car on the way to drop Mahiru off. He wished he was back in his bed with his arms around Mahiru. He still couldn't believe all that happened. He was so focused on his memories and Mahiru's prying that he couldn't once pay attention to how close they had been. Mahiru pushed him down on his own bed. He put his hands on Mahiru's face. Just remembering it was driving Ash insane. How did he manage to do that and not freak out on the spot? He wanted to go back and savor those moments, but that meant going back to that conversation. To the idea that he was pushing Mahiru away. Was he? He didn't intend to, but had he been subconsciously doing it? He just felt like after that Mahiru would have wanted to leave. He didn't consider that Mahiru would still want to stay after Ash reacted weirdly. Who would want to stay after thinking they messed up anyway?
Mahiru knew there was something more going on anyway. How much was the brunet questioning? Ash said there were things that Mahiru wouldn't like him for anymore if he knew. What did Mahiru think they were? Did Mahiru even think about it at all? Ash had to wonder what he would even say if Mahiru actually got an answer out of him. How much of the truth could Ash actually manage to get out of his mouth before it became too much? How much could Mahiru handle hearing before leaving?
It didn't matter. It wasn't like Ash would ever tell Mahiru those things anyway. It had to be over after all. Mahiru would go home, delete Ash's number, maybe even block him, and they would never hear from each other again. It was definitely the end.
With a quick glance at Mahiru, Ash could see the brunet's hand resting in the middle seat. Ash's fingers twitched on Kuro's head as he pet the cat who was resting in his lap. Would it be the last chance he had to feel Mahiru?
Against his better judgement, Ash let his urges overcome him and he let his hand slip off Kuro's head to settle dangerously close to Mahiru's hand. It was close enough that their pinky fingers almost touched, but Ash couldn't bring himself to get his hand any closer than that. It was close enough anyway. If that was as close as Ash could get in his final moments with Mahiru, then he was satisfied with that. He went back to staring out the window.
It wasn't but a few moments later that Mahiru glanced over at Ash. Of course Mahiru would keep liking Ash no matter what. No matter how horrible any secret Ash had, Mahiru would still stand by him like any other friend. However, Mahiru hadn't understood what that entailed. If Ash admitted to doing something unthinkable, Mahiru truly wouldn't know how to handle it, but his mind couldn't even consider that Ash was hiding something so dark. No way had the thought even crossed Mahiru's mind. It must have just been something trauma related. That had to be it.
The more Mahiru thought about it, the less Ash seemed like a shut in and more like a very hurt individual. If Ash, and by extension his whole family, had a lot of baggage from the past, then it stood to reason that would cause Ash to become a shut in. All that meant was that Mahiru had a way to properly help Ash now. It wouldn't be about getting Ash comfortable with Mahiru, but instead about getting Ash comfortable with a world that wouldn't hurt him again. Yeah, that was it. Mahiru needed to reintroduce Ash to things in life that were safe. To show Ash that the world wasn't a bad place that would only cause pain. To show Ash that he could trust Mahiru, and not just Mahiru, but other people out there in the world too.
The brunet's eyes glanced down a bit to Kuro. His eyes then fell lower as he noticed where Ash's hand was. It was surprisingly close to Mahiru's own hand. Looking at Ash's finger, Mahiru finally realized that Ash had somewhat long nails. He remembered when the man's hands were against his cheeks earlier. It was such a gentle touch. Mahiru started to feel like he was a bit rough with Ash earlier. The tenderness of Ash's hands was such a sharp contrast to the way Mahiru pushed him down. Mahiru didn't want to say he wanted to feel that tenderness again, but he definitely wanted to feel that tenderness again. It was different from the feeling of Koyuki holding onto his arm, or the feeling of Ryusei jokingly shoving him, or the feeling of Sakuya's hand lingering on his shoulder. It didn't feel friendly, it felt… loving. Mahiru gripped his hand into a fist to keep himself from accidentally reaching for Ash's hand.
Yeah, accidentally.
After giving The Mother directions for the rest of the drive, Mahiru finally arrived home. The Mother pulled up in front of the apartment complex and put the car in park.
"Well, have a nice night, Mahiru." The Mother said.
"You too! Thanks for taking me home too!" Mahiru responded with a smile and grabbed his bag before unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door. "Um, bye, Ash. See you later?"
Ash's eyes looked at Mahiru. Later? Mahiru actually wanted to see him again? No, Mahiru was probably just trying to be polite.
"Yeah, uh, you too… Mahiru." He replied.
"Ash, go walk him to his door. It's dark out." The Mother ordered as Mahiru got out of the car.
They both knew refusing her was useless, so Mahiru chose not to protest and Ash only groaned as he opened the door on his side. He lifted Kuro off his lap and placed the cat down where he sat once he got up.
"Stay in the car." Ash told the cat.
"Mrow?"
Kuro had to wonder why he was getting left behind, but he didn't complain since the inside of the car was nice and toasty compared to the slightly chilly night outside.
Ash shut the door and walked over to Mahiru to stand a few feet away from the brunet. The sound of his footsteps made Mahiru realize the man was so lazy he didn't even put shoes on before leaving the house. Mahiru had to wonder how his feet didn't hurt while walking on the road.
The pair just stood around for a moment, unable to look at each other, before Mahiru finally took a step towards the building and Ash slowly followed behind him. Neither said a word as Mahiru entered the building and Ash stepped inside after him. Ash really would be going all the way up to his door with him then. Mahiru took the elevator up to his floor and he and Ash continued to stand in silence before reaching Mahiru's floor. The doors opened up and they both stepped out. The walk down the hall to Mahiru's door felt painfully long, and yet they both still stayed quiet. Mahiru finally stopped in front of a door and turned to Ash.
"Well… I'm home." Mahiru said.
"Hn."
Ash was about to turn and walk away, but he couldn't when Mahiru suddenly hugged him. Twice now he got a hug from Mahiru and once again it made his face burn up.
"Mahiru… don't…" Ash muttered.
"I won't. I just… wanna say I really mean what I said. I do like you, Ash." Mahiru responded.
Ash wanted to say it back, but he couldn't make the words come out of his mouth. He simply put his arms around Mahiru in return and hugged the brunet back. Both of them held on surprisingly tight to the other.
"I… will see you later, right?" Mahiru quietly asked.
Ash hesitated. Mahiru did want to see him again? It wasn't just Mahiru being polite? So it wasn't Ash's last time seeing Mahiru?
Ash nodded his head. "Yeah… yeah."
Ash's grip around Mahiru tightened a bit and the brunet couldn't stop himself from blushing. Why was he blushing? There was no need to blush. Absolutely, definitely, certainly no reason for Mahiru to blush at all. It was just a hug. Definitely all it was. And yet, Mahiru didn't want it to end.
Unfortunately, they both heard the door click behind them and Mahiru quickly shoved Ash away from him. The man stumbled on his feet a bit but ultimately kept himself from falling. The front door opened and the older man behind the door seemed surprised to see them there. At the sight of him, Ash tried to stand up straight, assuming he was Mahiru's uncle.
"U-U-Uncle T-Toru! I'm, uh, I'm home!" Mahiru nervously exclaimed.
"Uh, welcome home, Mahiru." Toru responded.
The man's eyes wandered from his nephew over to Ash, who diverted his own gaze to avoid eye contact. Toru didn't have any discernible expression on his face, but he seemed to stare at Ash for a bit too long. It was almost like Toru was trying to figure out what to say, but nothing came to mind. The only thing he could think of was that any reasonable doubt he had had been completely dashed at the sight of Ash.
"Oh, um, Uncle! This is Sleepy Ash, my new friend who's house I… had… dinner at." The brunet introduced Ash in what almost seemed like a panic.
Ash rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Toru. "Um, hello… Sir."
Toru suddenly flashed a big smile and held his hand out to Ash. "Nice to meet ya, Sleepy Ash! I'm Mahiru's uncle, Toru!"
Ash hesitantly shook Toru's hand. "Um, you too, Sir. Just Ash is fine."
"And just Toru is fine. Sir's too stuffy for my taste." Toru responded.
Mahiru felt relieved that his uncle seemed to like Ash.
"Well, uh, bye Ash." Mahiru said.
"Yeah, bye." Ash replied.
The two stared at each other for a moment before Mahiru slipped past his uncle to retreat into his apartment.
"Oh, Mahiru! I gotta go down to my car actually! Left some work stuff in there! I'll be back in a minute!" Toru shouted into the apartment.
"Okay!"
Ash turned and started to walk away back to the elevator. He heard Toru close the door behind him, but no sound of footsteps.
"Sloth."
Ash stopped dead in his tracks and wondered if he heard what he thought he heard. No one but members of C3 referred to the siblings by their codenames. He slowly turned around to see it was still just Toru behind him, and that was what made him tense up so much.
"Don't call me that." Ash demanded.
He didn't want to sound aggressive towards Mahiru's uncle of all people, but C3 just made him so angry that he couldn't control the rage he felt building up inside himself.
"Sorry, right. Ash. I suppose it would be best if Mahiru didn't overhear me calling you that. Can't have him finding out, can we?" Toru said.
"If you're gonna tell me to stay away from him then just get it over with."
Toru raised a brow at the creature. "I think you've got the wrong impression of me. We've never properly met, have we? I'm not like a lot of those other guys at work. I don't have anything against your family and I've read the files, so I know you're just victims. I'm not gonna run you off, ya know."
Ash furrowed his brow at the man. That was a bit hard to believe considering C3's track record against his family. But Ash did understand that not every member of the organization was out for the siblings' blood. After all, Shamrock practically kissed the ground Tsubaki walked on.
"So, what could you possibly have to say to me then?"
Toru didn't expect Sloth to be so standoffish towards him. He must have underestimated the guy's hatred for C3. Sloth's file only said he usually kept his distance, but wouldn't hesitate to attack if approached. Toru didn't think normal conversation counted as approaching him.
"Just relax, alright? I'm just an overprotective uncle right now, okay? I'm not on the clock." Toru tried to reassure him.
Ash forced himself to relax a bit, but he still made sure to pay attention to his surroundings in case it turned out Toru was setting him up.
"I trust you, Ash. You're not a bad guy, I know that." Toru said.
"You don't know me." Ash refuted.
"I know more than you think, which is why you should listen to me here. I know you don't have any bad intentions with Mahiru, but he is my nephew. He's all I have left of my sister and he did have a rough time for a while as a kid, so can ya blame me for worrying about him? It's just that… whenever you guys are around, trouble's sure to follow, so I wanna make it clear that while you may not intend for Mahiru to get hurt, that doesn't mean being around you isn't dangerous for him. And if anything ever happened to Mahiru while he was with you… I'll prove that an overprotective uncle's wrath is a hell of a lot more terrifying than C3 ever could be."
Ash just stared at the floor and tugged on his hood.
"I… I'll protect Mahiru with my life. I don't want anything to hurt him either, especially not myself. If anything ever did happen, if I could die, I'd let you kill me. I'd deserve it anyway."
Toru stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. Ash looked up from under his hood with a confused expression on his face.
"Well that sure sounded like a declaration of love if I ever heard one!" Toru joked.
Ash hid under his hood again as his face turned red. "Can't deal…"
"Seriously though, I really mean what I said. I do trust you, Ash. All of you. I know you'll take good care of Mahiru." Toru assured him. "But uh, I think it's best if neither of us mention any of this to him. If you wanna tell him the truth about yourself one day, be my guest, but as far as Mahiru knows, I'm just a mayor's aide, so I'd like to keep it that way."
Ash suddenly flinched. "Y-you're that high ranking?"
"He and the vice manager are my childhood friends actually! But, I didn't tell you that!" Toru smiled and winked at Sloth. "That guy'd chew me the hell out if he knew I was makin' nice with one of you anyway."
Ash started to feel like Mahiru's uncle was a little too weird to hold a grudge against just for being in C3.
"By the way, I don't mean to pry, but how is Melancholy?" Toru asked, suddenly returning to being serious.
"Tsubaki." Ash corrected him. "And I'm not letting you trick me into giving up information that easily."
"Hey, like I said, I'm off the clock. I got no intention of telling anyone about this. I've just been… worried ever since that incident."
Ash stared at the floor again. "He's… a lot better than when he first came home.
Toru looked out the window across the hall. "That's good to hear… I'll let you get back home then."
Ash nodded, but something dawned on him as he watched Toru step towards the apartment door. "Didn't you have to get something from your car?"
"Oh! That was a lie so I could talk to you!" Toru explained with a smile.
"T-this guy…" Ash grumbled to himself.
Toru opened the door and walked into his home, closing the door behind him and leaving Ash alone in the hall. Ash walked up to the window and looked down to see his sister's car parked out front. He might as well head back down, even if he didn't want to leave Mahiru.
Inside the apartment, Mahiru sat at the table and tapped away on his phone screen, checking the notifications that he missed while asleep earlier. He had some texts from Koyuki, which he expected, but skimming through them, he didn't expect there to be so many questions in each text. Koyuki really wanted to be a part of the situation. Well, either that or Koyuki was too obsessed with Mahiru's love life.
No, no, nope. It wasn't a love life. Not a love life at all. There was no love involved anywhere at any moment in any time. So why did thinking that make Mahiru's cheeks burn? That wasn't it at all, Mahiru just really liked Ash. He just really wanted to get through to the man. He just wanted to help Ash. And maybe be hugged by Ash again. But that was it. Nothing else.
"Sooo, how was it?"
Mahiru looked over his shoulder to see his uncle walk up to the table and sit on the other side.
"Oh, did you get what you forgot?" Mahiru wondered.
The man chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Silly me, I got all the way down there only to realize I forgot I did get it out of the car."
Mahiru sighed. "What am I going to do with you, Uncle."
"Can ya blame me? I'm gettin' old here! My mind's going, Mahiru. I'm almost forty! You'll need to start helping me get outta bed soon!" Toru whined in an over dramatic voice.
"Get yourself out of bed, old man." Mahiru grumbled.
Toru just laughed. "But no, really. How was it?"
Mahiru put his phone down on the table. "It was good, I had a nice time. His family is definitely a cast full of colorful characters. His sister is an amazing cook too. I got attacked by his baby brother though."
Toru looked a bit bewildered and wondered if Mahiru was talking about Pride. "His… baby brother… attacked you?"
"Yes! He was waiting at the door and had a pipe, or something, and smacked me in the knee as soon as I came through the door!" Mahiru exclaimed. "He called me some pretty harsh words for a five year old too. But, he's a really cute kid and he just really loves his big brother."
That was definitely Pride.
"Oh, and he has this other brother that laughs, a lot. It's really creepy. He'll be so loud and then just stop dead and look bored out of his mind." Mahiru added.
And that was Melancholy.
"And about creepy, the oldest one wears paper bags on his head! They're like, stacked! I have no idea how he balances them and walks around just fine. He's crazy tall too! And barely talks."
Envy.
"But the others don't seem as weird as that. His sister, she's like in charge of everything. She comes off as scary, but I can tell she really cares about her brothers. She's probably just tired, heh."
Wrath.
"Two of his other brothers are in a band together, which is cool. And apparently one of them knows Licht Jekylland Todoroki. Oh, he's some famous pianist. Sakuya listens to him. But those two seem conjoined at the hip."
Greed and Gluttony.
"And then there's All Of Love. I swear, nicest guy ever. Seems a little too nice though. He kinda reminds me of Koyuki. He's the one that invited me over."
Lust.
"That's, uh, that's a big family." Toru said.
"I know! There's eight of them! And not a single parent around!" Mahiru nearly shouted.
Toru had to question whether it was okay for him to hear whatever Mahiru had to say next.
Mahiru sighed and propped his head up in his hand. "It's… frustrating… Old Child's only five and has to rely on his siblings. Ash even said they're not really equip to take care of a little kid. Both their moms are dead too and I really doubt their dad is a decent guy."
Toru noticed the solemn look that fell on Mahiru's face. Mahiru was in a similar situation himself and Toru could tell he knew that. They both missed her a lot. It was a travesty she couldn't be with them. But Mahiru wouldn't be in Ashford anyway if she was still alive. And yet, perhaps it would have been for the best that he stayed in Japan instead of Toru bringing him to Ashford. Protecting Mahiru was why she moved back to Japan anyway. And with Mahiru interacting with Ash's family now, maybe Toru had unintentionally dragged the boy into exactly what his sister wanted to keep him away from.
"Well, you sound like you wanna be there for them." Toru said.
Mahiru looked up at his uncle then off towards the kitchen. "I… could tell there was something more going on. Something that Ash didn't want to talk about. And then I… made a big deal out of it when I probably shouldn't have. I just… want to help him. I can tell he really needs it."
"You've always been like that, Mahiru. Always trying to help and do everything yourself. But, sometimes people just aren't ready to be helped. He has to take that first step to accepting help for himself. But with you around, I'm sure that'll be a lot easier for him to do in due time." Toru assured him.
"You think?"
"I really do."
A small smile appeared on Mahiru's face. "Thank you, Uncle."
Toru just smiled back at his nephew, certain that things would find a way to turn out just fine.
Ash opened the passenger door to his sister's car and got in. He immediately adjusted the seat to lean it back a bit and Kuro jumped from the back seat into Ash's lap. The Mother looked at her brother as he just stared out the windshield.
"That took a while." She commented.
"His uncle wanted to talk to me." Ash said.
"Uh oh." The Mother started the car up and began backing up.
"Don't, uh, don't say anything, but… his uncle's a mayor's aide."
"Ash!"
The car jerked back before The Mother pressed on the break and Ash groaned in response.
"I didn't know, okay!" Ash exclaimed.
"A mayor's- The mayor- Mahiru's uncle is one of the highest ranking people in C3?!" The Mother shouted as she got the car on the road so they could head home.
Just hearing that word got Kuro irritated.
"Shut up…" Ash grumbled.
"Ash, no. I- His uncle?! You just had to pick one of the only humans in town to be related to a man with that level of knowledge on us."
"How was I supposed to know?! It's a small town! Like, everyone knows everyone!"
"Well we don't."
"Exactly! So how the hell was I supposed to know?!"
The Mother sighed. "No, no. It's fine, it's fine. There really was no way to know. What did he say?"
Ash relaxed a bit. "He's fine with me and Mahiru hanging out so long as I don't get Mahiru caught up in anything dangerous."
"He's… fine with it?"
"Yeah, he's… he's a good one."
The Mother felt a sense of relief wash over her. So there really were more of them on the family's side than just Shamrock. Perhaps there was hope for the future after all.
"Well, that's good. I'm… glad this is working out for you, Ash." She said.
"That's a shock." Ash muttered.
"That I'm saying that or that it's working out?"
"...Both."
There was a moment of silence in the car as The Mother glanced at her brother to see he had his head against the window.
"Was it not working out earlier?" She asked.
Ash side eyed his sister but remained quiet.
"I didn't mean to, but I overheard Mahiru in your room."
"Shut up."
The Mother tried to not let herself get frustrated while driving.
"Did you work everything out?"
"Yes, now shut up."
"Dealing with you is like dealing with an angsty fifteen year old, I swear."
"Well I am eighteen."
"And I'm twenty-three. I'm not that much older than you. Hell, I'm younger than you, Ash."
"So stop acting like you're my mom."
The Mother wanted to slam her foot on the break. She was trying so hard, but Ash just always had to make everything so difficult.
"I don't try to act like anyone's mom, Ash. You know this is just who I am. Someone has to be the responsible one is all. I'm your sister, I'm trying to act like a responsible sister. I kind of had to when it was just the four of us anyway."
"We didn't ask you to do that."
"So, what? You wanted me to just stay cooped up in my room too? Never come out for decades like Doubt?"
"Doubt's different. I'm not saying you had to be shut in like us. You can do whatever you want. No one complained when you moved out with him. We were happy for you. But I was better off never leaving the house than being forced out with you guys. I like eating, but being forced to sit at dinner everyday for centuries is not what's gonna help me. Being forced to sit in the living room and watch tv with you guys is weird. I don't wanna go shopping together. I don't wanna go out to lunch and all that crap. You're happier doing that stuff and I'm happier not doing that stuff. I just want you to recognize that what works for you isn't what works for everyone else."
The Mother nodded her head in silence. "I do recognize that, Ash. I just wanted to help. A week in that house and I was ready to go insane from that alone. I just couldn't sit there and watch my big brothers waste forever sitting alone in the dark. You're my family. I just wanted to make our situation better because I care about you guys and we're all stuck in this together."
"Your situation and my situation are two completely different things."
"Okay."
Ash could tell by her tone that he actually managed to make her mad, but he couldn't care less at the moment.
"I didn't ask for siblings anyway." Ash muttered.
"And you don't think I didn't either? I didn't ask for him to show up at my family's estate one day and say he came to take me to meet my other family. I didn't ask my mother to tag along for my safety. I didn't ask to be used as a test subject and chained to that house just like you guys. I didn't ask for three older brothers and four younger brothers to come along later. None of us asked for any of this, and you being the oldest one doesn't give you priority to complain like all of us invaded your life specifically. Just because it's the town and house you grew up in doesn't make you the special one."
Ash picked up Kuro and held the cat close to his chest while he pulled his legs up and hid his face against his knees. Kuro couldn't tell what was going on in Ash's head, but the man definitely seemed hurt.
"I just wanna die and I can't even have that." Ash whispered.
The Mother let out a quiet sigh. That really was Ash's main problem. He wanted to escape everything by dying, but the siblings were the only ones that couldn't. That must have felt like such an ironic existence. All living beings had to die at some point, but death was so feared by everyone. To be someone that embraced death and wanted it so badly, but to be unable to die… was Hell.
"You're my brother, Ash. No matter what, I'll always love you."
Ash didn't believe that.
The rest of the ride home was dead silent. Both siblings were able to calm themselves down by the time they arrived at their street, but the air in the car still felt so tense. They had fought before, but it was never that bad. Ash and The Mother could just never see eye to eye on anything. It was like they were always on opposite sides. Neither of them wanted to be against the other, Ash just hated her getting into his business like she knew everything and she couldn't stand how hard he pushed people away when she was just trying to help him.
The Mother drove into the driveway and parked in her usual spot. Without a word between them, the siblings got out of the car and walked up to the porch. All Of Love was sitting at the little table on the porch and smoking a cigarette.
"Did you wait for us?" The Mother asked.
Love nodded as he took a drag off his cigarette. "I did."
"Well, we're back." His sister said and opened the front door to walk into the house.
Love watched her leave then looked at Ash. The eldest seemed more withdrawn than usual. He hung his head and kept his eyes on the ground as he walked to the door.
"Ash, I've been meaning to tell you something all evening." Love said.
Ash stopped and looked over at the blonde. "Uh… okay, what?"
"You seemed a little stiff today."
Ash stared at Love for a moment before his eyes widened and he went back to staring at the floor. Did Love really have to word it that way?
"Uh, st-stiff, uh- I don't k-know what you mean b-by… that…" Ash stuttered out.
Love let out a giggle. "I mean, did something, perhaps, get you a little… worked up? Excited even?"
"Can't deal…" Ash muttered as his face started to feel hot. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You and I both know you do."
Ash turned away from his little brother. Now really wasn't the time for such a conversation.
"How could you even tell? I thought I hid it well."
Love took another drag off his cigarette. "Ash, you changed into a hoodie and sweatpants and wouldn't let Old Child sit on your lap. I knew immediately."
Ash tensed up. "...Pervert..."
"Don't try to redirect this on me! You're the one with a-"
"Sh-sh-sh-shuuush!" Ash spun around to face Love. "Don't say it. It's already gone now anyway..."
Love giggled again. "So? How did it happen?"
Ash turned around again, contemplating whether it was worth explaining or not. Love seemed to have the idea that something went on while he and Mahiru were alone, so clearing that up was probably for the best.
"...I saw Mahiru shirtless while we were changing and, uh… thought a little too hard about… um, doing stuff…"
"And you're calling me a pervert!? Aaash!" Love exclaimed.
"Shut it!" Ash whined. "I wasn't trying to be… inappropriate…"
Love stared at his brother for a moment. "You, uh, know thoughts like that are normal, right, Ash? When you're attracted to someone you're bound to think things like that at some point."
Ash turned around once more with a slightly curious expression on his face. "Well I've, uh, never thought that stuff before now."
Love raised a brow. "Really? Five hundred plus years of life and you've never once had a sexual thought?"
Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Not one involving myself. They've never been anything but just thoughts before either. They never came from an urge to actually do anything."
"Hm. Well, there's people like that in the world too. Everyone's different, but it feels strange for that to change for you now. I guess Mahiru is just that special to you."
Ash stared at Love. Was that true? Ash had never felt something romantic or sexual for another person before meeting Mahiru. Nothing he saw on television or in video games or even on the internet caused him to feel anything remotely akin to love or lust. He didn't mind seeing mature content, but it just never did anything for him. It was almost like he couldn't feel anything like that. And yet, one look at Mahiru's bare chest and Ash's mind wandered down that road completely on its own. Was he that in love with Mahiru? He must have been. That made the most sense at least.
"Have you… ever felt that way for someone?" Ash wondered.
Love looked a tad surprised at the question, like he didn't know how to answer.
"I've… never been in love before. I don't even think I can say I've been legitimately attracted to anyone. Hooking up with people and being attracted to them is two completely different things."
"Why would you hook up with them then?"
"Because hooking up isn't about the other person, Ash. It's just for fun, and sometimes you can't have fun just by yourself." Love put out his cigarette in the ashtray. "I've got no interest in that behavior anymore though."
"Mn… You comin' inside?"
"Yeah, might as well."
Love stood up and followed behind Ash as the eldest brother walked into the house. Ash noticed Lawless and Wor down the hall in the den and they both glanced back at the other two for a moment.
"Heading in for the night?" Love asked.
"Probably. It's been a long day." Ash responded.
"Okay. Goodnight, Ash."
"Night."
And with that, Ash headed up the stairs to his room and Love went back to the living room. From the den, Lawless and Wor shared a look with each other.
"Feels like somethin' happened." Wor commented.
"Well, it has been one of those days." Lawless said and glanced down at his phone.
"Mng, I wanna go to bed too…" Wor grumbled.
"Can't just yet, bro. We gotta get this done tonight." Lawless told him.
Wor flipped through the sheets of paper in his hands. The pair were close to finishing the lyrics for their next song, but it was getting late and they were running out of energy to think. The younger brother glanced at the elder and saw the blonde typing away on his phone.
"Not fair, dude! Tellin' me I can't sleep an' then you slack off right after." Wor complained.
"I know, I know, sorry. Gimme a sec here." Lawless muttered, barely paying attention to his brother.
Wor groaned and went back to going over what they had written down so far.
'Hey Angel, I love you.'
Lawless sent the text and put his phone down in his lap to get back to work, but barely a moment later his phone vibrated. He picked it up and read the text he got.
'Hey. Love you too. What's up?'
Lawless hesitated before going through with his reason for texting Licht.
'You've stopped hating me for what I am, right?'
'Yes? Why do you ask? Did something happen?'
'No. Just met someone new is all.'
'Oh. Well you're the only monster allowed. And your family too. All the others can die. So if someone has a problem with you I'll fly over there and kick their ass.'
'Lol. Thanks Angel, but I'm starting to think that won't be a problem.'
'Good. Cause I finally got a break from business to spend a whole week with my parents so I don't want to leave.'
'Lol. Have fun with em. Tell em I said hi. Love you.'
'Will do. Love you too Law.'
Lawless finally put his phone down and truly got back to work.
"Done slacking?" Wor questioned, obviously irritated.
Lawless snickered. "Yeah, yeah. I'm done. I think I just got an idea too."
"Mn! Then write it down! I got no thoughts left up here myself!" Wor ordered.
"Heh, you never have any thoughts." Lawless teased.
"Bull!" Wor shoved Lawless in the leg. "I had a ton of thoughts earlier! That's just where they all went…"
Lawless broke out into a full laugh at his brother's expense and Wor groaned before a chuckle escaped past his lips anyway. At least for some people in the house things were going to be okay.
I am... very emotionally attached to that moment when Belkia cut off some of Lily's hair and Lily got him back and said "That's for cutting my hair." Like, yes girl, get his ass! The girls are fightinnnngggg! I want their whole relationship to just be constant back and forth shit like that, lol. And I've wanted to do that specific scene of them going back and forth with insults for so long. I'm so happy I was finally able to write it!
And I also feel like at this point it's best to clarify that I see Lily as genderfluid and fine with being referred to as any kind of gendered term. So that's why he and Freya going out is called 'girls' night' and people call him a lady sometimes. It's not anyone being insulting towards him.
In the case of Belkia tho, he's just a bitch, lol.