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Today wasn't all that special, Enki noted as he looked out the kitchen window, mug in hand. The sky was nothing out of the ordinary. The trees were swaying with the wind, as usual. Everything was mundane.
Except today was everything but mundane. To the point where today was the first day off Enki had requested since starting to work at the new prison.
Because Samon was graduating college today.
Honestly? Enki hadn't thought he'd make it. With his lacking focus and hyper tendencies? Yeah, this was surprising. But Samon was graduating today nonetheless.
And it wasn't helping the fact Enki was slowly starting to feel old. Today more than usual.
Because what on earth do you mean, the kid he babysat for most of his teenage years was graduating college? College was a grown-up thing. This kid couldn't possibly be graduating it already. It was unrealistic, it was stupid. Yet, it was happening.
Samon wasn't eight anymore. He was twenty-two.
The fact Samon could drive and drink already was beyond Enki's mind. He'd never enter a car driven by his little brother, Enki didn't really want to die this young. Who the hell let this guy get a car, let alone a permit?
Right. Himself. He had gotten Samon a car, and got him to his driving lessons when he was a teenager. Enki only had himself to blame for putting Samon at the head of a killing machine. Idiot.
Noriko came strolling in the kitchen, yawning and stretching her back. She wasn't usually up so early, but she felt particularly good today. They passively greeted eachother, not exchanging words but recognising the apprehensive tension on the other's face.
It was unreal, to think Samon was graduating already.
Houzuki was barely just finishing highschool, all the way back in China. Noriko was staying with him, she was just visiting to attend Samon's graduation.
Talking about the man of the day, he was the last to wake up. His hair a mess, eyes yet to open fully, pyjamas just as messy as he was. Yawning loudly before heading straight to the freezer, ignoring his older brother's dissapointing gaze as he took a bubblegum icepop. They sure didn't help with his hyper tendencies, with how much sugar was in them. Enki had made the mistake to try it, once.
"Seriously? Ice cream for breakfast?"
Yeah, ok, he was judging him hard. Samon stuck his tongue out to him in answer.
"T's my graduation day, I do whatever I want. I'm an adult."
Enki had to stop himself from answering "no you're not". He was. Samon was an adult now. God, he felt old.
Noriko chuckled at her siblings' interaction, sipping on her own hot chocolate. A choice drink, in the colder autumn mornings. The afternoons still had summer-ish weather, tho.
The three of them ate breakfast around the kitchen table, together for the first time in a while. Enki was usually gone by the time Samon even woke up. And Noriko simply didn't live here. They chatted quietly, finally doing some much needed catch-up that just wasn't the same over the phone. Enki mostly just listened, adding a few comments here and there and answering his younger sister's questions about his work.
Breakfast extended for over an hour before Samon had to go get dressed properly.
He was quick to come back when he realised he still couldn't tie a tie properly.
He was maybe an adult now, but this just proved the fact he still needed his older siblings to guide him. Enki snickered at that. Maybe Samon wasn't all that grown, afterall.
Noriko helped fix his shirt as Enki tried teaching him how to tie a tie, which only caused brain knots for Samon. Yeah, he wasn't mastering tie art anytime soon.
Samon sighed as he fixed his hair in the mirror one final time, checking if his eyeliner was right, if his tie was straight. Man, was this making him nervous. He was fidgeting more than normal, chipping his nail on the way. Great. He damaged the carefully applied shiny green nail polish Noriko had done for him.
The makeup was half covering his freckles. Noriko was definitely gonna complain at that. She always said he looked better when they were visible. Samon didn't quite agree, but never had the courage to argue with her.
Enki had gracefully offered to drive them all to the graduation ceremony, which Samon very happily accepted. He didn't exactly want to have a car crash on his graduation day. That'd suck ass.
And so, they went. Not before Samon checked one last time if he had everything, if everything was right. Noriko teased him about him, Enki rolling his eyes and checking the clock. At this rate, they'd never arrive on time.
All three siblings went inside the car — specially made to fit someone of Enki's size as the driver —.
The car ride was almost silent, Samon not even bothering to put his usual festival music. Instead, just the radio was quietly playing an old song by ABBA, that had came out 7 years before the eldest here had. Enki thought the lyrics were pretty fitting for today.
Before Samon went in the building, leaving his siblings to find their place in the crowd, Noriko fixed his collar one last time. Enki didn't miss the chance to ruffle his hair, messing it up beyond repair.
Samon surprisingly didn't protest, instead just grinning like a dumbass.
"We'll see you later, kid."
"—'m not a kid anymore, 'niki."
The last few words they exchanged before parting ways, Enki and Noriko finding their places in the crowd, Samon finding his place with the fellow graduates of the year 2003.
Seeying him on stage sure felt weird, Enki realised. At this rate, he won't need them much longer.
Maybe Samon was more grown-up than he had realised.
But knowing him, Samon would still want them to be right by his side. More as reassurance than out of actual need.
Because that's just the kind of person Samon was.