Len was the first one home that night, unsurprisingly. He shuffled around the house, mumbling angrily to himself about how late it was getting and how annoyed he was at Rin for not answering her phone. What if it was an emergency?!
He sighed and called Lily as he waited up, glancing at the clock to see it was about 6:35 PM. Rin probably didn't even finish her homework yet!
"Ah, y-yes?" Lily's breathless voice met Len's ears after five rings. "What is it, Len?" She sounded less cheery than she did yesterday. More tired and stressed, Len knowing it must be crunch time for the corporate-types.
"Lily-nee, I was wondering if you'd be home-"
"Can't. Gotta work overtime, and then I'll crash at that motel off 5th Avenue," Lily briskly replied, the flourish of papers flitting around in the background, and then a heavy thump of a stack of papers. "I just finished sorting all of the payroll!" She said happily, making Len tug a sad smile from his lips.
Lily soon would be off to sleep at the cheap motel she frequents more than Len would like her to. It was sketchy, and not taken care of, though Lily could hardly get home from the city to the suburbs most nights. Her job demanded most of her time, and the twins both knew their older sister was overworked, trying her best to provide money when they need it.
Len was in charge of the debit card and cash, always a good manager of money. They used to alternate who was in charge, between Len and Rin, but it turned out Len made the smartest purchases at the end of each month. Rin was sore about it for a few weeks until Len gave her a spending allowance, and the girl was free and happy once again.
Speaking of Rin... Finally, Len heard the jiggle of the front door's handle and the small pop of the lock being opened. Someone stepped through, trying to be quiet, and Len pursed his lips.
"Looks like Rin is home," Len muttered to Lily, who was still shuffling papers around in the background.
"Go easy on her, Len." Lily warned, a teasing smile in her voice. "Pass my love to her though. I should be home by tomorrow, I hope! G'night, you two." Len heard the beep of his call being dropped before he got to mumble an embarrassed 'I love you' back, and then stood to cross over into the hallway, tucking his cellphone into his back pocket.
Rin jumped as she saw her brother emerge from the living room, gasping a bit. "Len! Ahh, I didn't think you'd be up!" She said, eyeing her twin curiously. Len had a habit of falling asleep around 6PM, as he was always exhausted from school and Track. He made sure to get his homework done during lunch, just so he had time to rest!
Rin knew something was up if he was still awake, and she had a sinking feeling it was about her.
"You're late," Len said seriously, his blue eyes narrowing. Rin tried not to squirm as he stared her down and wore a small smile, only making her brother clench his jaw. "Why so late? What happened?" The boy wasn't phased by Rin's easy-going smile and giggles, knowing she was going to brush him off again. She always tried to get out of coming home late, and recently, she's been getting out of her responsibilities too! Len could hardly remember the times when Rin actually tried to help with chores. It all started because of Kaito...
"Studying just took a while! Plus, we were playing this really fun new game Kaito-senpai got for his birthday. I think we just lost track of time," Rin said sweetly, folding her hands behind her back, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for her interrogation to stop. Len scrutinized her for a few more tense moments and sighed, stepping aside.
"Yuuma made you a few sandwiches. I was going to suggest we should grab dinner, but-"
"Oh, Len! I already ate!" Rin said as she froze on the stairs, turning to smile at him. "Kaito made me dinner!"
"How...nice of him," Len said with another clenched jaw, stiffly turning on his heel to return to the living room's couch and zone out in front of the TV once again. The boy heard Rin let out a low sigh and then continue up the stairs, followed by a faint click as she shut her bedroom door.
He let out a similar sigh as he slumped into the faded cushions, barely paying attention to the special about "the cutest J-Pop artist of the year, Miziki Kazeno", that Yuuma was so proud of his sister for (and bribed Len to watch with those aforementioned sandwiches for dinner).
"Hmph, I need to study," the blond checked his wrist, reading the time on his watch. He was trying to study beforehand, but his imagination started running wild about where Rin was and what could have been going on.
Len shook his head clear of those thoughts and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees to prop his head up on his hands, slapping his cheeks to focus. Various writing and highlighting utensils were scattered on top of many books that were opened on the coffee table in front of him, his notebooks tucked neatly underneath each corresponding book. His study methods were perfected to an art after all those years of being an Honor student, or at least trying to be.
"Alright! Study time!" He growled to himself under his breath, and picked up his pencil, twirling it in his fingers as he began to scan over his math books. Len began to hum mindlessly as he scribbled down the first set of practice problems, foot tapping in rhythm. After a few moments of thinking, he felt his shoulders slump as he recognized the familiar tune he was humming and clenched his jaw again, the numbers on the page in front of him starting to blur.
"...geez, I'm becoming a mess," Len wiped his eyes furiously with the back of his fists, taking in a deep breath. "Of all times, I think of you, Mom." The blond then paused, thinking about Rin again, about Lily, Kaito, Yuuma and Gumi; even his final exams! It all felt overwhelming in that brief moment, Len flopping back against the sofa, staring at the ceiling, unblinking.
He's never felt so...alone before, until now.
"You'd definitely know what to do, wouldn't you?" he smiled slightly and then shook his head with a chuckle, going immediately back to his work, humming the tune even louder with new-found enthusiasm.
Rin, listening at the top of the stairs, smiled as she heard the tune their mother used to hum. She sat on the top step, leaning her head against the railing of the stairs, lost in thought as she just listened to her brother hum and began to nod her head from side to side. The girl jumped back to reality when she felt her cellphone buzz in her clenched fist.
Flipping it open, she read the message quietly to herself and felt her face flush:
"I love you, Rin-chan."
A/N: To all the faithful (and new!) people to read this fanfic, I am sorry for the update delay! But do know, I am trying my best and I plan to continue to work on this story.
Please, feel free to R&R! Thank you.
