Chapter Text
In the disgusting world they live in, there's only one rule.
Either you eat
or you get eaten.
Sae already made his choice.
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"Hand me the scalpel."
Sai ordered without bothering to repeat himself.
The moment it was placed in his hand, he returned to his work in silence... unlike someone else.
"You idiot! Who do you think went through the trouble of bringing the corpse here, huh?!"
"All you did was carry it!! And now you want to take all the credit?!"
"Because you wasted all your energy trying to finish it off! It wasn't even that strong!"
"You ungrateful—"
"Enough."
Sai spoke without lifting his eyes from the operation.
Another voice exploded from somewhere behind them.
"Would you two shut the fuck up?! Can't you see I'm on a call?! I swear, if I hear so much as a damn fly buzzing, I'll slaughter both of you!"
Normally, they would have started arguing again over who deserved the credit.
But this time...
They both swallowed their words at the exact same moment.Their manager had never lost his temper like this before.
Usually, he only cursed at them.But now...
For the first time, it genuinely felt like he was one step away from committing a massacre.
Even Sae's hand flinched instinctively when the office door slammed shut.
A heartbeat later, it was steady again.
"...That's unusual."
"Yeah... Has he always been this angry?"
"If you value your lives," Sae said flatly, "keep your mouths shut."
"My final warning."
...
Nothing remained except the sound of their breathing.....and the quiet rhythm of Sae's hands.
"Scissors."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
"We're screwed..."
"If he finds out, he'll kill us."
"He won't know if you keep your damn mouth shut! What else were we supposed to do?! He was about to leave unless we gave up..."
The last man's breath caught the moment Sae's shadow fell across them.
Did he hear?
They'd really done it this time.He was definitely going to tell the boss, and...
"Please... don't tell him! We didn't have a choice."
"Not my problem."
"Don't drag me into something that has nothing to do with me."
Sae didn't even spare them a glance as he disappeared into the restroom before either of them could answer.
Water streamed from the faucet, striking the porcelain sink in a steady rhythm.
Pink-tinted droplets slipped from his hands as he scrubbed them clean, his eyes fixed somewhere far beyond the mirror.
Today was Rin's birthday.
Sae had already bought his present.
He could finally go home.
Sixteen already...
For some reason, Sae's mind was still stuck in the days when anyone could tell at a glance that he was the older brother.
Now?
He was willing to bet everyone thought the opposite.
And honestly...
Could he blame them?
Rin had shot past one-eighty in what felt like no time.Sae never did.
No matter how indifferent he pretended to be, his height never stopped bothering him.
Just as his hand reached for the towel...
It froze halfway.
"Saaae!! Another customer's here!"
...
Damn his luck.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
The moment he stepped onto the front porch, his eyes drifted to the clock.
1:00 A.M.
...
...
Rin's birthday.was already over.
He hadn't made it.
If only he'd refused.
But deep down, he knew...He never really had a choice.
All he could do...was obey.
How pathetic.
He'd let him down.
Again.
His pace quickened on its own until he was almost running.
At least he could make it before Rin fell asleep.
Then He stopped.
A filthy black cat sat in the middle of the street.
Sae was fairly certain it smelled awful.
Yet, for some reason...A familiar voice echoed in his head.
"I'll take care of everything! Just bring it home!"
"No."
"But I'll be the one looking after it! Please..."
"You know I'm allergic. I don't want cat hair all over the house."
How many times had Rin asked?. Sae couldn't even remember anymore.
On the day he'd passed his exams.
On his ninth birthday.
His tenth.
His eleventh.
Every chance he got.
And every single time...
Sae refused.
The last thing he wanted was cat hair in the house.
So why...did the idea suddenly seem tempting?
There was no way he was touching a stray.That was disgusting.
...
Yet before he realized it...he'd crouched down, gently patting its head.
His hand jerked back the instant tiny teeth sank into his skin.
Wow.
Even cats hated him.
Then again...its fur had been filthy.He hadn't wanted to touch it either.
He stood there for a full minute, watching the cat calmly lick its tangled fur.
His hand isn't *that* disgusting.
"...You were dirty already"
...
...
Wait.
Was he seriously...having a conversation with a cat?
At this hour?
He was supposed to leave.
But then Rin's smile crossed his mind.
......
Sae turned his face away as the cat fought with everything it had, swiping wildly at him.
After several determined attempts...it finally managed to scratch his cheek.
He was only doing this for Rin.Nothing more.Nothing less.
Before he realized it...
he was standing in front of his own door.
His hand rested on the doorknob for several long seconds before finally turning it.
The very first thing he did.was toss the cat inside and shut the door behind it.
A loud hiss echoed from the hallway, followed by the sound of tiny paws running away.
Sae pulled himself together before saying, as always,
"I'm home."
...
No answer.
He hadn't expected one to begin with. Rin must've gotten tired of waiting and gone to bed.
"It's 1:30..."
"I was..."
"Yeah, yeah. You were working, as usual, right?! That's all you ever do! Your shift ends at seven in the evening, for God's sake!!"
Rin's voice thundered through the apartment.
"Rin..."
"You promised me you'd be here for my birthday this year! Look at the time now! It's already the next day!! Why did you even bother coming home?!"
A bitter laugh slipped from him.But The moment his eyes landed on Sai's blank, unreadable face, it vanished.
Of course.
He was ignoring him again.
As always.
To Sae, Rin wasn't even worth answering. Just another teenager throwing a tantrum who'd eventually tire himself out and shut up.
Right?
"Keep ignoring me!! I'm just your childish little brother making noise and getting in your way anyway!!!"
"but This is too much!"
"You're always late."
"I don't know why you always come home so late."
"I don't know why you never let me visit your workplace."
"I don't know why the first thing you do every single day is lock yourself in the bathroom."
"And you're always... always obsessed with staying clean!"
"Do you think I'm stupid?!"
"You're hiding something from me!"
"No..."
"You're hiding a lot of things!"
"I..."
"You were working, you couldn't help it, you're so sorry, and you even bought me a present! I've memorized that excuse already. You know what? Keep your stupid gift! I'm the idiot who actually believed you'd keep your promise this time."
The apartment fell into absolute silence as Rin slammed his bedroom door.
The only sound left was the key rattling back and forth in the lock.
A few seconds later...
Even that disappeared.
...
Sae stood frozen.
He almost stepped toward Rin's room.Then stopped.
No...
It wasn't like Rin wanted to see him right now.
He should leave him alone until he calmed down.
That was the one thing Sae had always been good at.
What would he even do if he went inside?Apologize for breaking his promise?
He doubted Rin would even open the door.
Even so...
He remained standing there for several long minutes.
His legs refused to move forward.They refused to move away, too.
...
"Happy birthday...
Rin."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
3:00 A.M
It was already three in the morning...
And Rin was still tossing and turning, desperately trying to fall asleep.
He'd already memorized every pattern on the ceiling.Unfortunately, there was nothing left to count anymore.
...
He hadn't done anything wrong.
Sae deserved it.
He broke his promise. Rin had waited for him for hours... Did he seriously think Rin would put up with this forever?
...
So why...Why did the guilt refuse to leave him alone?
Did he go too far?
No.
Absolutely not.
He wasn't apologizing.
Sae could go to hell.Maybe then he'd finally learn that Rin wasn't an idiot.
...
Or...
At least, that had been the plan.
...
Okay...
Maybe he really had gone too far.
Sae worked himself to the bone...Just to give him a decent life.
But Rin was only human.
How much longer was he supposed to endure Sae's silence... and his obliviousness?Even his friends had laughed at him after finding out he didn't even know where his own brother worked.
...
Did he...
Did Sae actually buy him a present?
He was carrying a bag...
Damn it.
He really did go too far...
Rin pushed himself out of bed and quietly made his way toward the door.He eased it open as slowly as possible, careful not to let the old hinges creak.
He had to apologize.
The moment his eyes fell on the figure stretched across the couch, guilt twisted in Rin's chest.
Sae always slept in his own room.He must've been so exhausted that he'd simply collapsed here instead.
His back was going to kill him...
And the gift bag was still clutched in his hand.
Rin stepped across the old wooden floor as carefully as he could..Even so, the floorboards answered with their familiar, faint creaks.
Luckily...Sae didn't wake.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
Rin reached for the bag.
The instant his fingertips brushed it, Sae's fingers instinctively tightened around the handle.
Rin held his breath.
A moment later, Sai's grip loosened again.
The bag nearly slipped from his hand and hit the floor, but Rin caught it just in time.
He spent several silent seconds staring at Sae's sleeping face...
Before opening the plastic bag.
Inside...
A small box.
...
Did he even have the right to open it after everything he'd said?
No.
But if he didn't...
The gift would never even be used.
He couldn't let Sae's effort go to waste.
Taking a quiet breath, he opened it.
...
He froze.
Was this...
What he thought it was?
A pair of necklaces.
One carried a sun.
The other, a moon.
He'd seen them online once.
Whenever one of them was pressed...
The other's pendant would light up, no matter how far apart the two people were.
Sae had been thinking about him.He bought them so they'd always have a way to reach each other...
No matter the distance.
And after all that...
Rin had said those things.
...
Idiot.
He such an idiot.
If only he'd kept his mouth shut...They could've opened them together.
He always ruin everything.
He bit down on his lip until he tasted blood while turning the sun pendant over in his fingers.
Before his brain could object, he slipped it around his own neck.
Sae bought it for him.
How could he not wear it?
But something still felt incomplete.
The necklaces weren't meant for only one person to wear.
Carefully...
As carefully as he could without waking him...
Rin reached toward Sae.
The instant the moon pendant settled around Sae's neck...
Both necklaces lit up at the exact same time.
...
"Thank you..."
A smile slowly spread across Rin's face.
This...
Was the best birthday present he'd received today.
Tomorrow.He'd apologize to Sae
For now...
He'd at least grab a blanket so Sae could sleep a little more comfortably.
He pushed himself to his feet.
A loud meow...
Followed by a sharp hiss.
Rin instinctively turned toward the sound.
A scruffy black cat with puffed-up fur stood by the open window.It must've climbed in from outside.
Cats almost never wandered into their house.
Then...
His eyes caught the scratches across Sae's face.
His gaze shifted.
From Sae...
To the cat...
Then back to Sae again.
...
No way.
...
Impossible.
If it'd been a gift, it would've at least been a clean cat.Not...
This one.
Its fur was hopelessly matted, and it didn't look friendly in the slightest.
Still...
Rin didn't mind.He crouched slightly, trying to coax it closer.
"Pspsps..."
The cat answered with a violent hiss.Yeah.Definitely not friendly.
But that hiss was nothing...
Compared to the feral screech it let out the instant it noticed the sleeping Sae.
Its fur stood completely on end.Like it'd just spotted its mortal enemy.
Rin tried.
He really did try.
The second he saw it tense its body, he lunged to catch it.
Too late.
The cat was already clinging to Sae's face with all four claws.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
...Why is the ceiling tilted...?
...
"Ugh..."
Sae groaned instinctively as claws dug into his face.Barely awake, he lurched off the couch and crashed onto the floor...
The cat still hanging stubbornly from his face.
"Don't move! Stay still!!"
"Why the hell won't it let go?!"
Rin shouted, desperately trying to pry it off.
It refused to release Sae's face.
...
Where even...
Wait.
...
Isn't this the same cat?
Rin stayed like that for nearly a full minute, struggling to peel the cat away.
Pointless.
He should've left it in the street.
Now it was too late.
Sae's face had become a canvas of blood and scratches.
Finally, Rin managed to scoop the cat up despite its frantic resistance.
"Rabid little gremlin..."
"I hate cats."
For the first time ever, Rin didn't say a single word to defend it, Instead, he hurried toward the door before the cat slipped free.
"Rin."
"Don't worry. I'll take it outside. I know how much you hate cats..."
"It's yours."
"...Huh?"
Rin froze.
Surely...
He'd misheard.
"You... brought it for me?"
His eyes drifted back to the cat, which had already scratched his hands several times trying to escape without him even noticing.
"...But it's a stray."
"Yeah."
"And it's filthy."
"Then give it a bath."
"...You hate cats."
"..."
Suddenly...
Rin felt stupid for not realizing it sooner.Sae's face had already been scratched before the cat attacked him.
His hands, too.
He'd simply never questioned it.Because honestly...
Who would've thought Sae. after refusing for years, would suddenly bring home a cat as a gift?
A stray cat, no less.
Sae really was an idiot.
Did he actually go through the trouble of catching a stray...
Just for him?
Something tightened painfully inside Rin's chest.He brought him a cat.
Even though he was allergic.
Even though it'd scratched him.
For him.
Rin's gaze dropped to the wooden floor.
Shouldn't he be happy?He'd always wanted a cat.Sae knew that.
Rin had asked for one every chance he got.
...he didn't like it?
"If you don't want it..."
"You can just throw it away."
"No!"
Rin blurted out before he could stop himself.
"I love it!"
"It's just..."
"I..."
"Then keep it."
Sae answered simply, already settling back down.
"I'm sorry... for what I said."
"I never should've said any of that."
"You trying was enough..."
"No."
"You were right."
"I broke my promise."
"That's not true!"
"I overreacted. I'm sorry for yelling at you."
Sae quietly studied Rin's face.For the first time since the argument had begun...
Rin wasn't staring at the floor.He was looking straight at him.
Silently begging him not to blame himself.
"...It's okay."
The tension finally left Rin's shoulders.
A shaky breath escaped him, one he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.
Sae simply turned over again.
"Go to bed."
"It's late."
"But... you're sleeping on the couch."
"..."
"Big brother."
"..."
"...Did you already fall asleep?"
"..."
Rin stared at Sae's motionless figure.He always worked until he dropped.Then insisted he was fine.It was a habit Rin absolutely hated.
...
Wait.Where did the cat go?
It must've slipped out of his arms while he was apologizing.
He should probably feed it first.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Warm sunlight spilled across Sae's face.
Slowly...
He opened his eyes, lazily running a hand through his tangled hair.
...Damn.His entire body ached.
Why hadn't he slept in his own bed?
What time was it?
He looked toward the bright morning sky beyond the window.
...
...He's late.
Sae shot upright.
The blanket tangled around his leg caught his attention.He stared at it for a few silent seconds before pulling it off.
He didn't even bother changing.He'd fallen asleep in yesterday's clothes anyway.
He yanked his bag from the drawer and rushed out the door...
Ignoring both his empty stomach..And his disheveled appearance.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Sai hurried down the street, checking the watch on his wrist every other minute.
**7:15.**
An hour and fifteen minutes late.
He was certain he'd set the alarm.So he'd simply slept straight through it.
He should've turned the volume all the way up.
That pain in the ass was definitely going to dump every ounce of yesterday's anger on him.
He'd already been furious last night.Now Sae had handed him the perfect excuse to explode.
Sae slowed his pace instead.
That idiot was going to yell at him anyway..Might as well give him something worth yelling about.
He suddenly stopped.
Something tapped lightly against his chest.
The necklace he'd bought for Rin yesterday.
When did he put it on?He clearly remembered Rin slamming his bedroom door.
He hadn't even accepted the gift.
...Did he put it on him while he was asleep?
For some reason, Sae wrapped his fingers around the moon pendant and pressed it a few times.
...
Then he slipped his hand back into his pocket and continued walking.
Why did he even press it?Rin might still be asleep.It could wake him.
Still...
Pressing it was strangely calming.
...
He should stop talking to himself.
Just keep walking.
He'd been thinking far too much this morning.
He finally lifted his head.to the towering building before him
To anyone else, it looked like an ordinary company building. Even Sae would've thought the same if he didn't work there.
Its spotless exterior concealed a mountain of blood and corpses within.
He had finally arrived.
A quarter of an hour later.
Instead, he froze.
Chairs lay overturned. Papers were scattered everywhere. Even the furniture hadn't been spared.
People were strewn across the floor, while others trampled over them as though they were nothing more than part of the hallway.
His ears already ached from the deafening noise.
What the hell was going on?
Sae ignored the chaos and started forward.
Someone slammed into his shoulder without even looking at him.
"He abandoned us!"
"That bastard ran for his life!"
"They're going to wipe every single one of us!"
"Watch where you're going, jerk!"
Sae swept his gaze across the room.What was going on?
Why were the nurses crying?Why were those morons fighting?
The hallway had turned into a zoo.
A zoo full of talking animals, to be exact.
Then, in the middle of the chaos...
He spotted the same two idiots who'd been arguing over his head yesterday.
Sae strode straight toward them and grabbed both of them by the shoulders.
"What happened?"
Neither answered.Their faces had gone pale enough to rival corpses.
"Are you deaf?"His grip tightened.
"If you don't answer me, I'll..."
"He ran."
The words stumbled out between trembling breaths.The man could barely swallow.
"...Who?"
"The boss, you idiot!"
the other snarled, violently slapping Sae's hand off his shoulder.
"He ran like the rat he is and fled the country! I don't care why! Now we're the ones paying for his greed and that damn black market!"
He glared at Sae with burning hatred.
"You knew."
"You covered for him!"