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It was a beautiful day outside. The sun shone down, illuminating the quiet town as it hung overhead. The kids were about to head home after a long day of school, and cheers could be heard from every corner. It was a great day and the epitome of the late summer. Everyone was lively and ready to have more fun at home.
This included the young pink-haired Albert Grimwald, son of the powerful Atlas Grimwald, who was running out of his public school with a blonde friend in tow. "Aaaahhh! I can't believe it, they let us go earlier than ever!" The youth giggled as he looked to his friend, the one he had practically dragged along by her wrist.
She smiled back at him, her long yet neatly-done hair blowing in the gentle wind. "They always do, Albert. Are you forgetful, or have you been so focused on doing things that you completely didn't notice? You ran out so early last week that we didn't even get to talk about the playdate..." She sounded just a little disappointed as she trailed off, shimmying back and forth awkwardly...
Albert began to blush in return. "A-Ah, I'm so sorry, Emilia! My sister called me during lunch, and I had to hurry home as fast as I could. She's really sick lately, and my Mom and my Dad are always busy, so I'm the only one that can take care of her-" He started explaining, only for his friend to hug him to shut him up. "E-Emilia?"
"You're such a good person, Albert! Thinking of your sister more than yourself, I wouldn't be able to do that!" Emilia replied as she pulled away, still keeping a firm grasp on his hand. "Not that I could, since most of my family stayed back in Germany after sending me here. But, I think that was the best they could've done! If I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have met you and everyone else!" Her smile shone brighter than the sun as it reached from ear to ear, making the young boy's cheeks flush even redder...
The young Grimwald child rubbed at the back of his head with a nervous giggle. "I-I mean, I am the best brother in the whole wide world and everything, but I just did what I thought would be best! You don't need to praise me or anything, it's just what a brother does!" Despite the fact he looked bashful at the praise his friend was heaping on him, he still spoke with such pride. He was happy that somebody else agreed with what he had done. Even if that somebody was the girl he blew off last week.
Emilia giggled as the boy talked a big game. "Well, Mister Best Brother, when are we going to go home together? There are a few games I want you to see, I imported them from back home and they seem like they're really cool. Don't you wanna try them?" She didn't even insult him over his prideful way of boasting. It was cute, and it was part of why the two of them had gotten to be fast friends. The more he tried to win her over with his boasts, the more she just thought that he was adorable. So she kept goading him on, and that's how the two of them ended up here today...
"Uhhh... Hmmm... When can I come by, when can I come by..." Albert mused aloud as he started counting on his fingers, doing a little bit of mental math to try and figure out when was a good day. "I mean... I think Sister's got everything she needs at home, so I think I can-"
As soon as he thought he was safe, he felt his pocket rumbling. Rather violently at that, making it clear who was calling him. "Ah! Hold on just a minute, Emilia!" The boy cried out as he pulled the phone out of his pocket, flipping it open to have a quick chat with whoever called him.
"Brother. There's no food in the house. I'm hungry..." A cough followed the simple statement from the calm voice on the other end. There was no mistaking the identity behind the caller, especially since he attached that specific type of vibration specifically to her. "Get home quick, Sister's waiting for you..."
Before Albert had a chance to reply to his beloved sister, he heard the characteristic click of the phone being shut off. "A-Ah... E-Emilia, I'm sorry, I..." He sounded utterly dejected over the fact he couldn't spend time with the girl he really liked, evident by the way his eyes practically hung off his face...
Only for the blonde foreigner to push her finger onto his lips affectionately. She giggled and gave him a friendly hug, nuzzling her cheek into his shoulder. "It's okay, Albert. You just go help your sister, be the best big brother you can be. Okay? I'll see you next week, and maybe we can go home to you instead. I'm sure she'd love to have some company while she's super sick!" She was so understanding, it was almost like she was an angel...
The young man nodded rapidly as he wiped a little tear from his eye, touched by her infinite forgiveness. "Thanks, Emilia! I promise to ask if she can handle a visitor, and we'll make plans next week!" His smile reached from ear to ear as he broke into a sprint, waving at his friend as she grew smaller and smaller...
Emilia sighed as she held her hands together, squeezing them slightly. "He's such a good boy. I wonder if he'll... No, he'd never want that. He's too nice to say no..." She mused to herself, sighing sweetly as she started walking home. Even though she didn't have a good friend over for the weekend, she was still going to make the best of it. At least this time, she knew why he was busy. And she was wholeheartedly behind it, as she imagined the two Grimwald siblings having fun on their own.
She blissfully headed home, utterly unaware of the truth behind the illness that affected the sister...
---
"Sister! I'm home! I brought groceries, food and a few movies if you wanted to watch something while in bed!" Albert cried out as soon as he opened up the door to their quaint little home, making his way inside carefully thanks to all the items that he was trying his best to carry all on his own.
He could feel somebody staring at him, making a few droplets of sweat run down his spine as he closed the door behind him. "S-Sister, it's not nice to stare..." The boy muttered as he managed to get all of the items safely inside, even as the soup packets on top of the pile were about to tip over.
"I can't help it, Brother. I'm stuck on the couch until I get better, what do you think I can do?" His sister, Alice Grimwald, muttered from the couch as she let out a slight cough. "You were late..." She continued, her words getting weaker as her eyes fluttered in an attempt to stay open...
Albert gulped as he neatly ordered everything in the pile of goodies, making sure that they were all stacked next to one another so he understood where everything had to go. "W-Well, I just had to talk to Emilia, the exchange student that started around the same time as both of us. She wanted to ask if I could come over and play some video games, but you're much more important than that, Sister, so..." He started trailing off as he did the menial housework, by putting away the groceries in their appropriate closet.
Alice smiled as she lightly toyed with a bit of her equally pink hair. "Well, I'm glad you know where your priorities lie. She's just a friend to you, after all. I'm flesh and blood." She tried acting smug about it, only to violently cough as a bit of blood came rushing up with the gust of wind leaving her lungs. "G-Ghhh... D-Damnit, I really hate this sickness..."
"Please be careful when you speak, Sister! I don't want you to almost die, so we'd have to disturb Mom and Dad. You know how worried they get when we're both hurt..." Her brother sounded as worried as could be, while he turned on the stove and slowly heated a pot of water on top. "Say, what have you been doing while I was away? You weren't trying to call me all day, were you?"
His sister looked over her shoulder as she fished the phone out of the pocket in her baggy pants, underneath the blanket that covered her up and kept her nice and snugly warm. "Of course I didn't. I sent you a text every five minutes instead." She joked tiredly as she held up the flip phone's screen, revealing a list of single word texts that she had sent to him...
"S-Sister, I thought we agreed that you weren't going to send me single word texts if you needed something..." Albert sighed, feeling a little disappointed in her. Just a smidge. He thought he was more disappointing than her, however, since he was the one that took so long to get home. "A-Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this soup I'm making! The nice lady at the store told me that it was really good for the throat, and you've been coughing so much lately, so I thought it was the right thing to get!"
Alice laughed a little as she peeled a sticker off the front of the phone, revealing that she hadn't actually sent any messages. "Gotcha. You're really easy to trick, Brother." She chimed, coughing into her blankets only a moment later. "But... Thanks. I'm always happy to have you come home early and spoil me. It's the kind of thing I need to get through this illness..."
"Sisterrrr..." The young man muttered in a whining tone as he slowly wandered over to the couch while he waited for the pot to finish cooking. "You're so meaaaan..." He continued, reaching down to grab her blanket. "Lemme swap your blanket, you need something cleaner, otherwise you're going to get sicker."
What he got in response for his kindness was a tiny tug on his cheeks, courtesy of his beloved sister. "You're not taking anything. Do you want to get sick from my coughing? Then you touch that blanket and get sick. I might tease you, but I don't want you to get sick." The words that left her mouth were astonishingly nice, especially since she never acted this serious around him. "Now go check on the food, and then we'll eat."
"Awww! You do care!" He immediately started perking up as she showed that she truly cared for his well-being, even at the expense of her own. "Alright! One Albert-style chicken soup, coming up in a few minutes! Just you wait and see, sis! I'm sure you're going to enjoy it!" His pride rushed back into his words as he ran over to the kitchen, and the sound of boiling water filled their little home.
Alice sighed as she looked up at the ceiling, smirking just a little. He was so easy to trick. Just a little sweet word about how much she loved and appreciated him, and he was practically like a lost little puppy happy to help his owner. It was adorably stupid to see in action, yet he never failed to pull it off. No wonder her Father enjoyed making fools out of people and using them for his own gain...
Her heart throbbed just a little as she thought of her brother helping her. As much as she didn't want to think about it or say it outright, she did truly enjoy his help. She was just deluding herself into thinking that she was treating him like any other schmuck she was tricking. That's all. She didn't like being honest with herself in that manner, especially if it involved complimenting somebody...
"Aaaannddd... Done!" Albert cried out from the kitchen as he ran into the living room just seconds later, carrying the dangerously hot pot with all of his strength. He was far too excited to just pour a bowl full of soup in the kitchen, preferring to do it closer to his sister so she wouldn't have to exert herself. He could just sit by the pot, pour some soup into the bowl, and then spoonfeed her right then and there. It was a perfect plan. "A pot full of your Best Brother's Soup, ready to be eaten and savored by his favorite sister!"
He could feel his heart skipping a beat as his sister started smiling, to the point where he nearly dropped the porcelain bowl that he had brought with him. "A-Awawawa!" He nearly tripped right then and there, but he thankfully righted himself up before anything awful could happen. He breathed a sigh of relief as he slowly cooped up some soup into the bowl, taking a seat by the couch as he held it up to his sister's face. "S-Sorry about that, Sister. I'm sure you're going to love it."
Normally, she would've laughed at him. But his attempts at appeasing her were admirable. Especially when it was directed at her. "Thank you, Brother." She gave him his well-deserved thanks as she opened up her mouth, and he slowly inserted the spoonful of soup. She slowly swallowed the contents, sighing warmly as she felt her body heating up.
"Well? How is it? I followed the recipe the nice lady told me, but I added a little extra spice since I know you like your food spicy. I didn't make it too spicy, did I?" Albert immediately started launching into a tirade as he watched his sister enjoy his cooking, only for her to gently motion for him to quiet down.
Alice let her smile say everything she needed before she motioned back towards the soup. She didn't want to speak, because she wanted the soup to have its full effect before she spoke again. So right now, she just needed more and more of that delicious dish. That way, her throat could get better. And that way, she could properly congratulate him on a good meal. Like she always did.
Her brother was doing his best not to appear too ecstatic, but he always felt happy whenever she loved his cooking. Even if she never said it outright. "Right, here you go, more of your favorite soup!" He chimed happily as he continued feeding her. Spoonful by spoonful. Every time she opened her mouth and looked like she was waiting for another spoon, he gave her exactly what she was waiting for.
It got to a point where they had managed to work through the entire pot's worth of soup in such a short time, really putting the girl's stomach into perspective. She didn't even look bloated from all of that, more just happy to finally get some good food from a boy who knew what to do.
"Hehehe... Well, that was a good meal, wasn't it..?" Albert asked, smiling from ear to ear still. He still looked for her approval, even though he knew that he had it. He really was just like a puppy, always looking for somebody to show him what to do, or tell him that he did a good job. Some might think it was pathetic, but she did like that quality. It made it easy to use him, and he always looked so happy being used...
Alice cleared her throat, coughing just a bit to make sure all of the gunk that stuck to the inside shook loose. As soon as she felt that her breathing had gotten better, she reached over and patted her brother on the head. "It was the best soup I've ever had, Albert. Thank you. Thank you so much."
Her brother's smile shone brightly, aided by the feelings from the bottom of his heart. "It's the least your Best Brother can do for his best sister. Now, you just relax and try to get comfy, okay Alice? The nice lady said that if you overexert yourself, the throat troubles will just come back, and I wouldn't want you to be in pain again." He explained as he got up, pulling the pot with him as he headed for the kitchen. He needed to clean up before he'd head out again.
As she was left alone, the Grimwald sister took a deep breath as she looked under her blanket, revealing a pill bottle with a dangerous label on it. Her little secret. The reason why she was sick in the first place. A little experimental piece of medicine that she had nicked from Dad when he wasn't looking, so she could make sure that her illness was authentic.
Alice palmed the bottle, wondering if it was necessary to take another pill. Maybe she was going to recover soon, and Albert would stay with her. Then she wouldn't have to. But, as she heard the water turn off within the kitchen, and as she saw her brother approaching the entrance to the house, she made a decision.
"Okay, Sister! I'm going to head out! Some of my friends are going to the arcade later today, and-" He tried to explain where he was going...
Only to notice his sister on the floor, practically having fallen off the couch. "H-Hey! Sister!" The young man cried out in shock as he sprinted over, scooping her off the floor as he put her back onto the couch. "D-Don't try and get up, you'll just hurt yourself..."
A cough left the sick little girl's lips. "Sorry, Brother... Looks like the sickness is getting worse..." She muttered weakly as she pulled the blanket over her, staring at him with a pair of needy yet worried eyes. "Can't you stay..?" She asked, putting as much of her hurt energy into her words...
Albert was overcome with guilt as he hugged his beloved sister. "Of course I can. Just, don't try anything, okay? You need to get better. I get so worried about you when you're sick..." With that, he had been successfully barred from interacting with anybody besides her, even if he didn't realize she had planned for all of this to happen.
She wasn't going to tell him about her plans either. She merely hugged her brother back, enjoying the time he'd spoil her. Maybe someday she'd stop making herself sick. Maybe then he could meet somebody else. That day wasn't today, as the two siblings continued to hug each other. The brother was no doubt going to fix her some more soup later, but for now, they were going to enjoy this moment of familial love...
Alice was happy. Happy to have her brother by her side at all times. As he should be. Now, if she could only get rid of that friend he had...