Author Note
Would you look at that?! There is this super beautiful cover for 'Acting out in the Name of Love' now!
I have been not-so-discretely trying to find an artist willing to do a simple cover for this story for a few months now, but it is pretty much random chance (ok, and my insane Heel-sibling fanaticism being common knowledge in the Discord) that led ncisduckie to share an old pencil sketch she was planning on colouring. From that resulted about four days of utter magic on her part, and me being selfishly greedy to the point that I made use of her kindness: she was willing to adapt it as a cover for this story...
Suffice to say, this cover blows all my expectations I ever had for a cover way out of the water. Hell, my previous expectations are now somewhere near Alpha Centauri. Thank you so much, ncisduckie!
As for everyone else: please enjoy the chapter! ~SilkHandkerchief
Chapter 66s: You Don't Have To
"Just go!"
I am pushing Nii-san and his bike away, because I just need to get him out of the way. God, this is the worst of the worst!
'Can you introduce me?'
'Can I have his number?'
'Am I his type?'
Ever since he bullied his way into picking me back up from school, suddenly every girl in my class has become my best friend. They left me alone just fine in the past!
... It is probably because the boys are too dumb to realize they need to learn about and talk to someone to make build a relationship.
... Or maybe it is because they are too smart for their own good and know that Nee-san is way out of their league, so they just make sure they perv over her from a distance where she can't bruise their balls with a lifetime worth of experience.
Ugh. Things were so much better when it was Nee-san!
"What? Is it the black eye?"
His response draws me out of my contemplations, and I realize a second later that... ugh. Really?
Why is Nii-san playing dumb again?! It is bad enough that he won't tell me why he has the panda eye, but now he plays stupid?
I push him forwards even harder, and he stumbles a bit in a goofy manner as we finally round the corner and put some distance away from the main gate.
"Niiiiiiiii-san! It is both of those black eyes! Just go!"
I find myself whining at his unreasonable and utterly childish behaviour one moment, and yet the next moment he somehow contorted his way into patting my head.
"Do you want me to... leave? .. ... Really?"
My eyes are drawn up to his beaten-up face, and I find my heart breaking at his utterly vulnerable expression. The way his lower lip quivers. The way those eyes avoid my own just slightly as they shimmer in the daylight. The slumped shoulders. It is the worst of the worst!
".. no no no. You can stay. I'm sorry!"
And then instantly, he smiles widely and wraps his hand around me again in the most embarrassing display of affection that is more suitable for a parent loving their child than siblings walking together.
GODDAMMIT!
He tricked me again! The manipulator! The stupid baka-nator!
He keeps doing this! Every. Damn. Time!
Why does he get to make me feel guilty abusing his face like that? It is so unfair!
I've tried keeping his nose out of my things, but that just makes it worse because he just keeps asking about details. I've tried the silent treatment, but he'll just make that more embarrassing somehow. Flipping heck, he's even dragged Jenny to take his side yesterday! Why is he so much like dad sometimes?!
Ugh. Maybe taking the initiative is going to make this walk halfway bearable... Swallow. Clear my throat. Take a deep breath. And...
"I know it is what you wanted... but you don't have to come pick me up every day. Just four times... or even three... maybe twice a week? That way you can focus on your theatre rehearsals like you used to."
Ugh. Why do I sound so salty? Why'd I have to stress that stupid word to that degree? Now he's going to call me unreasonable again, isn't he?
I'm looking at his face with my heart beating in my throat, but he just smiles and shrugs.
"Why would I not take the time to accept your birthday gift? It might come in school-day-sized installments, but every bit of it means the world to me."
My face flushes; I don't need a mirror to know that that stupid dopey gaze combined with those words of his are going to make me look ridiculous. Can't you just let me stay angry at you? Or let me have air and dignity? Baka!
I give him a vengeful little push by putting my full weight into his side using my shoulder, but unfortunately his hand doesn't let up and pulls me along in the momentum of my push before straightening our path out again.
Bah! He straightend it out... way too easily, in fact. Shouldn't he have stumbled for just a moment? Even with those muscles and his length advantage?
He's just treating me like a little kid throwing a tantrum, isn't he?!
'If Setsuka vents a bit and wins over me a little, maybe she'll stop sulking and complaining.'
I can totally see him thinking that! He is so obvious! Look at that little smirk! And that confident swagger! He is completely proud of his devious masterplan!
Thankfully, we've finally reached my street.
After the second day, I convinced Nii-san to just part ways here. There's so many problems with having him all the way at the house.
Like him wanting to see my room, like he wanted to the first time before I stressed it wasn't happening. It was a mess! And there's so many stuffed animals!
Or like him and the fakes engaging in really awkward conversations that somehow always have to involve me. Or them offering him lemonade.
God. Of all the things to offer him! He's not a little kid!
My steps halt, and he halts his as he looks at me with one of those sad smiles that make me think I am about to abandon some poor innocent little thing in the woods.
"We're here." I announce.
He nods.
"You are. Why do you live so close to your school? We used to live further away back then. We barely have the time to talk about your day."
I roll my eyes, but I find myself smiling a little as I counter smoothly. He has, after all, complained about this nearly every single time.
"Or about yours."
He smiles, and nods. "Well, you go, then. Thank you."
His hand gives me a little push, and I feel just a bit guilty as I wave at him and wander off to Fake-Home.
I can feel his gaze in my back, and as I follow the curve of the road, I can barely see him still standing at the crossing we parted. God. He's like some sort of parent. What do they call it? Search and destroy helicopter parenting?
One last time I wave to him before the bend in the road takes me out of his vision.
Finally! Freedom!
My pace picks up as I duck into the nearest alley and begin to move away from FakeHome as fast as possible.
If either of the fakes realize what I'm upto, I'm going to have to listen to yet another preachy monologue befit of a villain in a cartoon. And that is absolutely unacceptable!
Not because of the monologue, but because it'd mean Game Over.
Hmmm. I should pick up my pace some more. Nii-san's desire to chaperone me home like some kid is such a detour when I just want to go to Pin & Play for my lessons.
Cassandra doesn't like it when I'm late. Her excuse is that she is punctual, but Timothy confided that she just worries I won't show up for our little lesson-for-lesson deal anymore.
She must have come to really like the origami I've been showing her.
Ugh. That reminds me. I need to go to the library tomorrow and find another book to learn some designs from. Otherwise she'll just kick me out one of these days when I can't show her something new. Unfortunately, two hundred pages of origami instructions isn't actually all that much given the rate I've been teaching her about origami during the past year.
I guess I can let Nii-san come along to the library tomorrow. It is not as if I am likely to run into people I know there. Besides, it is just a book about origami to him, right? Baka-nii wouldn't think anything of it.
As I finally come out of the alley and turn a left to double back...
WHY IS HE... Oooh. Yuck. GOD. THAT'S AWFUL!
I want to spit it out, but his hand stops me... so all I can do is swallow so I am not suffering through this torture. Yuck!
"Why atomic lemon drops, Nii-san?! You know I hate those!"
As I am about to yell at him in anger some more, I find myself throwing up in the metaphorical sense because of something else.
Baka-nii is giving me that pathetic look again! With that busted up eye! Oh God have mercy on my heart~~!
Which asshole has been punching my Nii-san and blemishing his handsome face to make this extortion-stare of his into such a critical hit?! I just want to hug him! Cuddle him!
"Why are you lying to me?"
... Crap.