Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As the engine purred to a stop, Phi threw her head back and stretched. On a tree across the street, she could hear the crickets chirping at each other as they settled in for the night. It was hot, even though it was the end of summer, and the air was still without a breeze.

"We're here," Phi said to her sister, unbuckling herself. She craned her neck to look out of the window, but all she could see was the dark outline of the house as the sun finished setting behind it. "Are you ready?" she asked as she heaved out of the seat. 

They had just arrived at their father's house for the yearly family reunion on the anniversary of their mother's death.

Luna nodded. "Mhm."

"You know this will be a total shitshow, right?"

"I'll be fine," said Luna, also unbuckling herself before stepping out of the car, her sister soon doing the same. Despite her words to not only Phi, but herself as well, Luna wasn't so sure if she was going to be fine. After all it was the anniversary of their mom, Kyle still hated her, and Delta was god-knows-where.

"You always say that, and it still ends up being a complete circus." Phi took the bag with the bottle of scotch from the back seat and slammed the door closed. "Here, hold onto this." 

Luna took the bag from her. "I'm... sure I'll be fine. Come on, let's go."

They began walking towards the front door of the house, which their father had bought after their mother died. Although Luna had very fond, but few, memories of the house she lived in previously (memories mainly involving her mother), she spent the majority of her childhood and the entirety of her teenage years in this one, thus granting it the title of her childhood home. And as such, she felt incredibly nostalgic every time she visited.

"You can do this, Luna," said Phi, consoling her sister. 

Luna gave her a half-hearted smile. Phi was only trying to be nice, but she had been right earlier. This would be a circus.

"Speaking of circuses," Phi started, attempting to distract her sister with conversation. "Did you know Kyle's new roommate was in one before he moved to town?"

Luna raised both of her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah. Kyle told me that. Apparently he was, like, the ringleader or something."

"Oh, wow. Um... Has Kyle... talked to you much?" Luna asked, trying to hide her expression. As much as she wished she had a good relationship with her brother and talked to him like Phi did, he decided from a young age that he wanted essentially nothing to do with her. No matter how many years passed it never stopped stinging.

Phi hummed. "I mean, it's not like we talk every single day or anything. But we do talk sometimes, like, I'll ask him about his classes or he'll ask me about mine. Like I said, it's not as if we're super tight with each other, but lately he's been pretty open as to how he feels. I think he's doing a little better, so maybe he'll finally stop giving you the cold shoulder. I mean, it has been eighteen years."

Luna sighed in relief. Hearing that her brother was doing better made her feel much lighter, like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Maybe he would eventually let her in.

Despite the stress that always seemed to surround their family reunions, Luna knew she could always count on Phi to be there for her through it all. She was truly grateful to have such a good sister who loved her unconditionally.

Giving her older sister a reassuring smile, Phi rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing their dad.

Although it hadn't been that long since the sisters had seen him, he looked far more tired than last time. It wasn't surprising given the current date.

"Hi Dad," said Phi.

"You're here," he said. Every year he grew more and more worried that, one by one, his children would stop coming to the family reunion. He gave the girls each a quick hug before stepping aside, allowing them to enter the house. "You both look well. How's college going, Phi?"

"Same old," she replied.

"I'm glad to hear it. What about you Luna, how's work?" There was a hint of pain in the question, partly because she followed her mother's footsteps by becoming a nurse (albeit at a school and not a hospital), and partly because he missed having her work for him and Ms. Kurashiki, as their assistant.

"Work is going very well! Thankfully not a lot of playground injuries so far, which isn't surprising, since the school year has barely started." Luna smiled, thinking of the kids at the elementary school she worked at. Every year, she was delighted to both see kids she already knew and meet the new ones.

"That's nice," he replied, leading the conversation to a clumsy halt.

"Where's Kyle?" asked Phi before the silence could set in. "Luna got the scotch you two love. Peace treaty for him, y'know?"

Luna looked at her in surprise. Phi had been the one who actually bought the bottle.

"He's not here yet, actually. But, uh... we talked on the phone earlier, and he said he'll be a little late. Shall we go to the kitchen while we wait for him? I'm gonna need you girls' help." He put his hands on their shoulders, and the three of them began to make their way to the kitchen.

The house looked just how Luna remembered it from the last time she visited (which wasn't that long ago). All of her siblings' pictures on the wall were still there, and the furniture was all in its proper place. 

As they began helping their dad make the side dishes in the kitchen, Luna looked over at Phi and felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. She knew that no matter how things went with Kyle during the gathering, her sister would be there for her.

Once Luna and Phi finished preparing the dishes, they put them all in their usual spots on the table. Their father always took care of the main course, and today was no exception: he had made a hearty pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions. It was amazing how far her father had come when it came to cooking. If it hadn't been for the cooking lessons Phi made him sign up to when she was a teenager, he would have still been a complete lost cause in the kitchen.

Luna sat down at the seat to the left of the head of the table, opposite the empty spot where Kyle would be sitting when he arrived. She didn't want to sit with him because of how it always made an already awkward meal even worse. But to any family, designated spots at the dinner table were too precious of a tradition to break.

Just as they finished setting the last of the food on the table, Sigma's phone rang. "Hm...It's not Kyle," he informed his daughters once he got a look at the caller ID displayed on the screen.

The sisters watched as their father picked the call up. The way his face paled as the person on the other side spoke made them share a worried look, before they both returned to watching their father, waiting to know what made his demeanor change so suddenly.

"I'll be there right away," their father said into the phone as he got up, beelining to his coat hanging near the door.

"What happened?" both Luna and Phi asked, worried.

"That was the hospital. Kyle… He got into an accident. He's alive but unconscious." 

Luna's heart immediately dropped at the news. Although she was relieved that he was alive, the fact that her brother could have died was enough to make her blood run cold. 

Sigma pulled his coat on and grabbed his keys. "He's being treated there now. Come on girls." 

Phi and Luna immediately stood up from their seats on the table before heading outside and getting inside their father's car.

The ride to the hospital was eerily silent. Both girls and their father were too scared to say anything, still trying to process the news of Kyle being in the hospital.

"How did it happen?" Luna dared to ask after a few minutes of that dreadful silence. "Did they tell you?"

"Apparently someone decided it was a good idea to drive under the influence and drive on the wrong side of the road. Kyle was right ahead of them on the road and their cars crashed."

"It's not a coma, is it?" Phi asked.

"I'm not sure. All they told me is that he's unconscious," their father replied.

"That's terrible..." Luna said, looking down.

"Yeah..." Phi added. 

Their father didn't say anything else after that. He just drove the car as fast as he could without getting pulled over or getting into an accident himself.

Once in the hospital parking lot, Sigma parked the car and they all hurried up, anxiety rising with each step. Arriving at the reception area, they managed to talk to the receptionist, who gave them the room number, which Phi punched in on the elevator moments later.

Despite the small number of floors from the reception to the hall Kyle's room was in, the elevator ride seemed to drag for ages before a ding was heard and the door opened. 

They walked down the hall, passing by medical staff and some other visitors.

They reached Kyle's room. They saw him lying there on a hospital bed, hooked up to machines,  paler than they'd ever seen him.

Luna felt her heart break into pieces as she took in his condition.

While Sigma had a talk with the doctor in the room, who explained that Kyle didn't need surgery, tears started welling up in Luna's eyes. She moved forward and held her brother's hand in hers, with Phi also moving to Kyle's bedside.

Somewhere deep inside, Luna knew that Kyle would pull through and regain consciousness. 

He had to. 

This couldn't be the end for him.

Every so often Sigma would get up from his seat opposite the bed and pace around the room, worry filling his expression. Phi remained sat down beside the hospital bed, but the way her leg bounced told Luna that her sister was also restless. In the background, the beeps and whirring of machines filled the room with a steady rhythm.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was only three hours, Kyle began to stir.

"Kyle," Luna said when she noticed his eyes fluttering open, her voice shaking with emotion as she grasped his hand tightly.

At first, Kyle didn't respond. He looked dazed and confused, but he was awake.

"What happened?" Kyle asked. His voice was weak and raspy.

"You were in an accident," their father explained. "But you're going to be alright."

Relief washed over all of them but Kyle and they embraced each other tightly, grateful that Kyle was finally awake.

"I'm sorry but... Who are all of you?" Kyle asked, confused, as he looked at the people in the room. 

The people in the room in turn all shared looks with each other.

"Hey Luna," Sigma said, prompting her to look at him. "Can you go tell a nurse to bring the doctor in?"

"Y-yes." Luna nodded, taking a moment to compose herself before heading out of the room.

After a few minutes, she returned to the room with a nurse and a doctor in tow, going straight back to her brother's side.

"How are you feeling, Kyle?" the doctor asked.

He raised an eyebrow at the name but did not say anything about it. "I feel alright. A bit tired and sore, but otherwise fine. My apologies, but I can't seem to recall anyone in this room."

Luna's eyes widened as she processed what her brother had just said. 

"I'm the one who will be in charge of your treatment. My name is Dr. Vargas. May I ask you about what you remember?"

The young man looked down, a thoughtful expression present on his face, before looking back up at the doctor. "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to remember anything before right now."

Dr. Vargas wrote something down. "I see. Well, you've had a pretty bad concussion, but I did not think it to be severe enough for the development of generalized amnesia. We'll have to do a few tests, but for now, get some rest."

Kyle nodded and the doctor left the room, leaving him with the family he had no memories of.

"Could one of you please tell me who everyone is?" Kyle asked, still seeming lost.

Sigma took a step forward. "We're... Well, we're your family, Kyle. I'm your father, Sigma, and these are your sisters, Phi and Luna." 

He paused, and Luna immediately knew he was questioning if he should mention Delta and his absence right off the bat or if he should wait until Kyle was off the hospital and more settled down. Upon taking a moment to think, he didn't say a word about Delta.

"I'll leave you three to talk for a bit while I call Aka- your godmother. I was waiting until you woke up to let her know about what happened," he said before stepping outside of the room. 

Kyle simply nodded in response.

"So..." Phi started. "I think we should catch you up on some basic stuff. Let's see... Your name is Kyle Klim, you're twenty-two years old and you're a biochemistry major. We're in California, although we don't live together with our dad anymore. Luna and I each have our own places and you've recently moved into an apartment with a roommate, who we will certainly have to notify about your accident."

"Do we even have his phone number?" Luna asked.

"I don't, and I don't think Kyle's phone survived the crash, but I do know the address of the apartment. I could take Dad's car and let him know."

After a while, their father came back into the room, looking much more relieved than before. "Everything's been sorted out. Akane's on her way here."

"That's good. In the meantime can I take your car to Kyle's apartment? None of us have his roommate's number," Phi said.

"Sure, yeah." Sigma dug through his pocket, taking out the keys and handing them to Phi.

Kyle stared at his family for a moment before speaking up again. "Did the doctor say when I'll get discharged?"

"Not yet, but they should release you in a few days since your injuries aren't extremely severe," Sigma said. "You should be cleared after you recover a bit and do some tests to assess your memory."

"I see..."

Luna frowned, holding her brother's hand with both of hers. "Please don't worry about not remembering us. It's not your fault." Her frown turned into a reassuring sweet smile. "I promise we'll be here for you."

Kyle returned the smile. "Thank you, Luna."

Chapter Text

Luna yawned as she made her way down the stairs of her father's house, a duffle bag full of some of her clothes in hand. She and Phi had been staying over for the past week and a half to not only coordinate the visits to the hospital better but also to save money on gas.

She walked over to the living room and saw that her father was already awake, sitting on the couch and reading the newspaper. "Good morning, Luna." He greeted her.

"Good morning, dad," she replied with a smile as she set the bag down beside the couch. "Is Phi up yet?"

"She is," he answered. "She went to take a shower a while ago, so she should be almost done."

"Alright. I'm gonna go get started on breakfast if that’s okay." Luna smiled and headed to the kitchen. 

Once there, she opened a cabinet so she could take out the pans.

"Ah, I forgot to mention," her father's voice sounded from the living room. "I have a very important meeting today that I cannot miss, so I won't be able to go with you and Phi to pick up Kyle. Please tell him that I'm sorry and I'll eventually make it up to him."

"Of course."

Making sure to keep an eye out for the time, she got to work cooking breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs and bacon. By the time she was done, her sister was already back from the shower and sat at the dinner table with their father.

The three of them spent the rest of the morning chatting about different topics: from Kyle and his condition to Sigma's work. And as soon as they finished their breakfast, the sisters grabbed their bags and said their goodbyes to their father, promising to visit soon.

Once in the car, Phi spoke up. "Oh shoot. Today's Saturday."

Saturday was the day of the week when it was commonplace for Luna and Phi to hang out with their friends Clover and Alice at their favorite coffee place: a small, dingy place with hard wooden benches and faded decorations on the wall. They had completely missed the weekly event the previous week since they went to visit Kyle, but they promised they'd be able to make it this week since they didn't have to pick their brother up until the evening.

"Oh! You're right. Are we going to be late?"

"I dunno." She looked at the time on her phone and let out a sigh of relief. "We'll get there in time. Our asses are saved from Clover's pouting and Alice's death stare," Phi continued and Luna giggled as the car started.

"So he'll be getting discharged today, right?" Clover asked.

They were all sipping on their go-to drinks: an earl grey tea for Luna, a black coffee for Phi, and for Alice a mint tea with honey and lemon. Clover had gotten a chocolate hazelnut frappe, but her eyes kept flitting to the display case next to the cash register.

"Yeah, Luna and I will be picking him up later."

Alice put down her cup of tea. "What about his memories? Are any of them back yet?"

"No, he still remembers nothing about us," Phi answered. "In fact, he doesn't remember anything from before the accident. He's gotten some tests done, and the doctors say it might take him a good while to regain a good portion of his memories."

"I see..." Alice contemplated for a moment, her arms crossed over her chest in thought. "I suppose it's quite lucky he can't remember his rotten attitude toward Luna."

At the mention of her name, Luna's focus switched from the table to her friend before speaking up. "He's been really nice to me so far since he can't remember our childhood. It's quite refreshing."

As much as Kyle being nice to her felt like a breath of fresh air, she couldn't help but worry at what cost it had come. She wondered if things would have been different if he hadn't been in the accident.

But regardless, she was glad that their relationship seemed to be on the mend. Maybe when he got all his memories back, things could get back to normal but... even better. Maybe.

Looking down again, she noticed her cup of tea was empty, and mused about not having realized that she was done with it. "I'm gonna get another cup of tea," she said to the group. "Anyone want anything?"

Phi and Alice shook their heads while Clover opened her mouth to speak. "Can you get me a cake pop, pretty please?" She looked at her friend with eyes that resembled a puppy's.

"Of course." Luna smiled, happy to oblige her friend's request, and got up.

Luna made her way to the counter, waiting for her turn to order. As she waited, she couldn't help but people-watch– something she often did when she was bored. She spotted a couple holding hands and smiled softly at the thought of the happiness they must have felt when they were with each other. Although she had never been in a relationship before, she loved the concept of love and what it stood for.

Just as she moved forward, with her mind still in the clouds, she bumped into someone, causing her to stumble a bit.

"Hey! Watch where you-" a voice with a slight southern accent said.

"I'm so sorry!" she immediately apologized to the person, a man. He then turned around and Luna got to get a good look at him.

He was a few inches taller than her, with blond hair tied into two braids that fell on his shoulders. He looked visibly frustrated, with his eyebrows furrowed and his blue eyes slightly narrowed. In his hand were two cups of coffee that somehow didn't spill when she bumped into him.

The stranger looked her up and down before letting out a sigh.

"Just be careful next time," he said before beelining to the exit.

Luna watched him as he left, feeling a bit flustered by the whole encounter. She then shook her head before turning back to the counter.

"One chocolate cake pop and a cup of earl grey," she said to the cashier. She paid for the order and made her way back to the table, where Phi, Clover, and Alice were currently in the middle of a conversation.

"And then she said-," Clover was saying, clearly in the middle of a story, before she noticed Luna approaching and stopped herself. "Oh! You're back!"

"Yeah, here's your cake pop," Luna said as she sat down and handed Clover the treat.

Clover's eyes lit up in excitement as she took the cake pop from Luna. "Thank you!"

Taking a sip of her tea, Luna leaned back in her chair and sighed contentedly before being tapped on the shoulder by Phi.

"Did that guy curse at you for bumping against him?"

"Oh! No, he didn't, thankfully. No need to worry, he just told me to be careful."

Phi narrowed her eyes. "I see… Well, that's good, because I for sure wouldn't have minded running after him and drop kicking him for having such a dumb reason to get angry at you," Phi said, earning a giggle from her sister, who, despite not being encouraging of such violent behaviors, did find it funny that Phi would have definitely gone through with it if needed.

The group chatted for a bit longer before Phi and Luna had to leave to pick up Kyle. Clover and Alice said their goodbyes and promised to visit him at his apartment soon.

When they got to the hospital, they went straight to his room and found him putting on his jacket, clearly ready to finally leave the room where he had been staying for the past week and a half.

"Hello Kyle," Luna greeted her brother with a smile as she walked towards him with Phi following closely behind. "How do you feel today?"

"I feel quite relieved I finally get to go home."

"Are you ready?" Phi asked

"I'm all set," he replied as he zipped up his jacket.

"Perfect. Let's go then," the younger sister said as she led the way out of the room with Kyle and Luna following close.

Once they were all buckled up in the car and ready to go, Luna began talking. "By the way, Kyle. I'm so sorry Dad couldn't be here to pick you up, he promised he'd make up by inviting us all to dinner... well, again, since dinner didn't exactly happen the other day."

"It's alright, I understand if he's busy with work."

"Hey, Kyle," Phi piped up from behind the wheel. "Why don't you invite Luna over for dinner at your place sometime? Luna still hasn't been to your apartment yet and it would give you two an opportunity to catch up... or well, relearn stuff and all that."

Luna's head snapped in her sister's direction. She understood what her sister was trying to do, which was simply to give an opportunity for Kyle and Luna to bond.

"Oh! That'd be quite a nice idea. I'd love to have you over for dinner, Luna. But what about you, Phi?"

"Don't worry about me, we can have the chance to catch up some other time."

"I see. Then alright. How does tomorrow sound, Luna? I'll have to warn my roommate that you're coming first, of course."

Luna looked at her brother with wide eyes, still surprised that him being nice to her was something that was really happening and not just a silly dream.

A warm smile formed on her lips and she clasped her hands together.

"That sounds lovely! Thank you for the invite." She smiled at him.

"Speaking of your roommate," Phi started. "Has he visited you?"

"Yes. In fact, he visited me earlier and brought me a cup of coffee. He mentioned going to pick up a cup for himself, and I asked if he could bring me one as well considering I didn't really like the coffee from the hospital cafeteria or the vending machines. It actually took quite a bit of convincing for him to do it, but he eventually relented."

"He sounds like a grade-A jerk," Phi commented.

"Indeed, but I guess it's normal since we're essentially strangers. Who knows? Maybe he's not the warmest person ever towards strangers," Kyle said. 

Phi simply looked at him through the rearview mirror in response.

-

The drive to the apartment was fairly short, taking around ten minutes before they reached the building.

"This is it. Second floor, apartment nine, by the way," Phi said as she pulled over.

"Thank you so much for the ride, Phi. I guess I'll see you soon. And you, Luna," he turned his head towards his older sister. "I'll see you tomorrow evening. Goodbye." He exited the car and waved at his sisters.

"Bye, Kyle," Phi said.

"Goodbye, take care!" Luna exclaimed before Phi began driving again.

As Phi drove Luna home, they exchanged a few more words, during which time Luna thanked her sister for bringing up the idea of dinner at Kyle's place.

"It's nothing, really," the younger sister said. "It's probably time you two got all your issues sorted out. By the way, do you need me to drive you and pick you up tomorrow?"

"Oh! Please do!"

"Alright, it's settled then. I'll pick you up at around seven-thirty?"

"Yes, thank you."

As they pulled up in front of Luna's house, the two sisters said their final goodbyes. Luna gave Phi a hug, thanking her once again for all she had done.

Luna walked into her apartment and made sure to close the door behind her. A few seconds later, she entered her room and, after putting on her pajamas, laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She thought about the past week and a half, and how she might finally have a good relationship with her brother after eighteen years of nothing but the cold shoulder from him. 

She felt tiredness creeping up on her. Luna rolled around and, after a few minutes of lying stomach down, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.