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A bond of siblings is sometimes one of the most cherished. Born of the same blood and flesh, of curious eyes of the older watching the younger, wondering how such a small thing would be someone they would come to play with and love and protect. It’s a bond forged by the higher powers, their tales spun by fate either of hatred and jealousy, or love and affection.
Rindou knows this -he’s seen the ways on how his older brother Ran, however annoying and cocky he was being, shows love in the most bizarre and odd ways one could imagine. It wasn’t the usual verbal declarations, no one nearly does that since they prefer the actions speak louder more than the latter. He could not explain it well enough for others to understand, but he just knows.
But right now; Ran is really testing how long he can safely skid and sprint and hop on the thin ice which is Rindou’s patience, before it shatters. Fuck that bond for just a moment because the humiliation of his little secret being found out by Ran of all people makes him want to sob, throw up and die simultaneously.
His ears felt warm and he could thank his lucky stars for forevermore that his two toned hair is down and covering it or he will never hear the end of it.
He turns to his older brother, his brows furrowed and almost meeting in the middle. Ran could almost coo at him, but that would mean Rindou is going to murder him for real. He grins so wide and he opens his mouth to speak when his brother cuts him off, scowling.
“No.”
“I haven’t said anything!” He whines, following Rindou when he enters the train, sitting beside him. The train is almost empty, save for a few people here and there. It was the last one out and about, before it would soon run again in the morning. The younger brother turns away, his lips pursed shut.
“Who?” Ran ignores his brother’s icy glare. “Is it (Y/n)-”
“Shut the hell up or I’m breaking this metal pole myself and hitting you with it.”
He doesn’t shut up.
“Try using pick up lines.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
Rindou is seriously considering plucking his brother’s throat out. He turns and glares at him as Ran shrugs with his signature grin. The former sighs in exasperation and defeat and leans back on the metal railings of the building they’re on. He’s only half-listening to his brother as he spewed out nonsense that sounded like it directly derived from some shitty romance movie. He snaps back to focus as he hears a godawful line, his neck swivels as his hair follows, almost hitting him in the eyes.
“Is your father a baker?” Rindou’s expression is a ludicrous mixture of mortification and disgust. “Because damn, those buns are piping hot-”
“What the actual fuck, no.”
Ran continues anyway. Rindou tries to walk away when an arm grabs at his own, a silent indication to stay. Poor soul is now tormented with horrible, horrible pick up lines that would prove to be very useful if he wants to get a girl, in Ran’s own words.
“How about I tell you some more pick up lines and use those on them,” Ran bursts out laughing as Rindou buries his head in his arms, trying to block out his brother’s cheesy ass advice. But who’s to say he won’t consider them? “Maybe cage them between the wall and your body and lean in and whisper-”
“Okay,” the younger male raises his head up, a disgruntled crease on his forehead. “Now you’re enabling me to become a creep.”
“As I was saying, it’s going to do wonders. I may be the more attractive and handsome,” Ran ignores Rindou’s snarl at the indirect jab. “But anyone would be out of their mind to turn you down. You can do it, I believe in you.”
Rindou looks away, the mild wind tousling his dual-colored locks. A thought did cross his mind -would it work? Would you be his? Because from the times he talked to you in the past, albeit majorly awkward and with the occasional silences that seemed more comfortable than uneasy, you look to be the person who would stay away from delinquents like him.
And with your soft, kind personality that mimics a meek lamb, pure and sweet, it isn’t a far-fetched idea. He didn’t tell you exactly what he does in his free time. He’s sure telling you breaking limbs is his hobby would guarantee you staying far away from him, which is the opposite of what he longs for. But if it meant keeping you safe, then so be it.
But his heart still yearns.
He could hear his older brother saying something, and he immediately turned back in from daydreaming of you.
“Aside from being sexy, what do you do for a living-”
“Someone’s in a good mood to get punched in the throat today.”
You sat on the bench just outside your school, opening your flip phone to see if your cousins had sent you any messages. With their sudden move out of the place where you all grew up together, it feels lonelier than ever since their visits are becoming more and more rare. It doesn’t make your case anymore easier with your classes and club activities and everything else clumping together and making you nauseated.
Clicking the messages app, you snort at the photo (very poor quality, might you add) your cousin sent. They’re having a good time, you think, squinting and bringing your phone closer to your face to at least see and make sense of the context. They’re eating pizza with vanilla ice cream, and somehow their sister has eaten an entire slice and is choking. The next that followed, take a look at this dumbass trying to fit an entire slice the size of her hand in her mouth, sent you grinning.
You stifled a laugh and shoved the phone in your bag, scuffling around for your water bottle. A shadow passes you and you look up, your eyes meeting violet ones. You smile tenderly at him and in a fleeting moment, Rindou forgets everything of his violent lifestyle. In a fleeting moment, he feels like a normal kid.
“Hi there, Rindou-san.” His heart aches at the sound of your mellow voice reaching his ears. If he died right there and now with your voice as the last thing he hears, he is sure he’ll die a happy death. “Where’s Ran-san? I don’t see him.”
“He’s out… somewhere.” His unsure tone made you chuckle, uncapping your water bottle and taking a sip. You give him a warm grin as you fit your water bottle in the pouch of your gray bag. You scuffle around and feel here and there for your wallet, when you feel a sudden weight dip from beside you. You look to see Rindou, red-faced and… apprehensive? Was that a good term to describe him?
“Rindou-san?” You ask, a worried quip. “Are you alright? Your face is red-”
“Are… are you…” Rindou can only wish for the earth to swallow him alive. Maybe his brother too for proposing such awful lines. Mostly himself because he’s the bigger idiot to go along with it when he has all the power in the world to refuse to. Ran appears in your peripherals, trying to get a sneaky look in the scene. Your eyes met with the older Haitani, which he responded with his usual grin.
“Am I what?”
“...A piece of shit.”
You blink. You could have sworn you just saw Rindou blanch from his own words. It took all your self-restraint to not laugh at his constipated expression. You tilt your head while feigning a hurt and offended facade as he suddenly stammers for a coherent apology.
“No, wait!” You bite the inside of your cheek. You eyes stray to the side, seeing Ran stifle his own laughter behind a wall. You’re sure which of the two Haitani brothers will be meeting their end. Maybe both. One from embarrassment, one from a younger brother’s rage.
“I meant to say that- that you’re trash and I would love to take you out-” You couldn’t take it anymore as Ran’s cackles now fill the air alongside yours. Rindou’s cheeks grow warmer. “I- why are you laughing?!”
“Yes. I’ll go out with you.”
He short-circuits. Ran falls on his knees, howling and wheezing for laughter.
“I knew it would work!” Ran walks up to where the two of you are, still laughing. Rindou could feel a vein pop in his neck at his older brother’s entrance. You sigh and stand up as the younger brother lunges at his brother, yelling and cursing all the way. Ran counters back with snarky remarks and jabs.
“Walk me home?” You ask Rindou after he had his fill from verbally beating his brother up. He turns to you, his cheeks tinged a slight red. He nods and grabs your bag, slinging over his shoulder. He glares at the older male, who still wore that smug smile from before.
“Go away.” Rindou hisses.
For a moment, Ran’s eyes soften and pats his brother’s back.
“Be safe, yeah?”