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It's weird, to still be at home.
Normally, he's long gone at this hour; be it school or practice, he leaves early, and doesn't come back until way later. Sitting on the couch and just waiting is not something he's used to.
Restless, he gets up to re-check his luggage. He already checked his suitcase multiple times, and it'd be a pain to re-open it now, so he opens his backpack instead. Manga, check. Earphones, powerbank, charger, check. Snacks, check. Wallet, check. Phone, check.
Passport case, check.
He brings it out of the backpack and runs his fingers over the soft, orange leather. Paper sticks out of the case; the fortune slip he got with Toya peeks out of it. He opens the case and rights the paper. He normally isn't one to carry around keepsakes like this, but for some reason, it only felt right. A "great fortune" for the trip, for the beginning of their takeover of the world.
He flips through the case to make sure all his documents are in there, then closes it back up. His hand hesitates right when he's about to toss it into the bag.
He brings his hand down and tenderly runs his finger under the rubber band.
It's a nice case. It’s something he hadn't thought to buy for himself, but will be useful.
It's a very thoughtful gift.
Before he can get gross and sentimental about it, he hears footsteps coming from the direction of Ena's bedroom. Confused, he tosses the case back in and turns towards the sound. It's not normal for her to be up so early on a day off, especially when he couldn't sleep because she was so loud with her friends on Nightcord during the night.
Soon enough, a sleepy Ena wanders into his vision.
“You're up,” He notes, giving her an impressed look.
“Well, obviously, idiot,” She grumbles as she heads into the kitchen.
“You normally sleep ‘til noon. The hell're you up for?” He zips his backpack up and gets up to follow her.
“Aren't you leaving soon?” She opens the fridge without a single glance his way.
He checks the clock on the wall. “Yeah, I need to get goin’.”
The fridge door slams. He's about to call her a brat for being so careless (ignoring the many times he slammed the fridge door himself), but before he can, she's opening her mouth right in his face.
“Be careful out there.” Her hands fidget weirdly at her sides, and with a sigh, he pulls her into a hug. Her arms circle tightly around him, wrapping him in the familiar, chemical scent of her efforts, and for a brief moment, he's seven again, safe in Nee-chan's arms.
He pulls away quickly, ignoring the reluctance lingering in his mind. After all, they can't stay like this forever. He's not seven anymore, and their roles have since reversed; though his attempts at comforting Ena have always been pitiful. He wishes he was able to help her as easily as she helped seven year old Akito, whose pain she chased away with a warm, paint-scented hug. All he ever did for her was make things worse or be a punching bag.
“I will. Stay strong, ‘kay?” He worries, despite himself, despite knowing how much stronger she is now. She's always been strong, and he hopes that brief hug was enough to let her know it, because the words can never make it past his throat.
“Duh,” She huffs, indignant, though the one thing he has over seven year old Akito is the ability to read his sister. He knows that sigh has all the appreciation she can give him. He does the same thing, too; somehow, when it comes to Ena, being open is the hardest thing he can do. In true sibling fashion, both of them do the same thing of avoiding being vulnerable with the other.
He glances at the clock again. He can't stall anymore.
“I should get goin’.”
He forces himself to leave the kitchen and go get dressed. He feels Ena's eyes follow him all the way there, and as he ties his shoes, he hears her shuffling around the kitchen. He quickly pulls on his jacket and grabs his bags. His hand hesitates halfway to the door.
“Bye,” He calls out, forcing his hand to grab the handle.
“Bye,” Ena responds, an unusual color in her voice, one he's not sure he ever heard. There’s a moment of silence, filled with every little thing they want to say to each other but can't, before Akito opens the door and heads out.
The chaos of getting to the airport and dealing with everything there leaves him far too busy to think about the morning. Not even settling into his seat gives him peace; Toya is at his side, scared out of his mind. In an attempt at comfort, Akito offers his hand. He quickly comes to regret this decision as Toya swiftly squeezes out all the blood from it like a fucking vice.
He tries to ignore the pain and numbness that seep into his left hand in favour of falling asleep. With his free hand, he pulls on his sleeping mask and closes his eyes. He quickly realizes falling asleep’s not gonna be so easy, because Toya's grip is strong as hell, and his poor hand has been turned into a stress ball. It's probably gonna take him a while to get used to the sensation.
While waiting for his hand to get used to being bloodless, his mind wanders back to Ena. She's the reason he's even on this plane; a domino effect, starting from that summer festival, cascading all the way to this Tokyo-New York flight. He's grateful, because if not for her, he'd be an aimless husk. She's been there for him since the start; from encouraging him to try singing, leaving some cheesecake by his door whenever she'd notice the skin around his eyes is red, failing to blend into the crowd at some of the events, to now supporting his dream of taking over the world.
She’s a good sister.
It's not something he admits easily; his instinctual reaction is to deny it, to call out all the scratches and screams. Though, deep down, he knows he always asked for it. He's the one who always poked and prodded when she wanted to be left alone, provoking her until she snapped. Looking back, he deserved it for being inconsiderate.
He shifts in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable. She's always been supportive, and the thought that he considered giving up on her makes his skin crawl. If it wasn't for Momoi-san, he would've abandoned her without trying to return all the support he's received.
He's a bad brother.
Even if he tries his best now, it can't change the fact that he was never able to give her the help she needed; in addition, he's not sure she even needs it now. The faint voices coming from her room at night have been able to do much more than he ever could: cheer her up, make her smile, say the things she needs to hear. Even Momoi-san was more concerned about her than he was, on that day back on Vivid Street. The story he heard back then surprised him; he refused to acknowledge Ena's kindness, even if her words led him to Vivid Street in the first place. Now, he can see her niceness more easily.
Back then, Momoi-san called Ena her guardian angel. He can't help but see that title as fitting; she's helped Momoi-san in middle school, she invited Asahina-san over to keep her out of the rain, and she's the reason why Akiyama’s been seen at school more often.
Most importantly, her words and actions brought him here; to Toya, to An and Kohane, to a dream he can chase with all his might. She pulled him out of a slump and pushed him in the right direction, and it's thanks to her his heart is full.
A guardian angel, huh. In the past, he'd call the thought ridiculous; now, he likes to think he's more mature than that.
He can admit it.
She's certainly his guardian angel. And with her support, in the form of both words and gifts, he can take on anything the world throws his way.