Butterfly kisses and Flower petal wishes

Resist Pt.1

At this, the young Takemichi became flushed as he snapped, "I did not! I haven't called you that dumb name in years!"

"Huh~ Are you saying I'm lying?!" Meiko snapped back, slamming her hands on the kitchen table.

"I'm saying I don't remember doing that!" Takemichi honestly shouted getting up, "And... And even if I did! There's no way I'd use that stupid nickname again." Tears were starting to form around the corners of his eyes.

"Michi--"

"And stop calling me that!" Takemichi all but yelled, grabbing the bag of chips his sister had obviously bought him as he moved to leave and go upstairs. "We're not kids anymore, so... grow up!"

"Wha--! Hey! Get back here! We're not done yet!"

"No!"

Staggering to run after the boy, Meiko stopped at the bottom of the steps to shout. "You jerk!! I wasn't done talking!"

"Well, I am!"

"At least disinfect those scrapes!" She heard his bedroom door loudly slam shut and screamed in frustration. "NOT A KID MY ASS!!!"

Later she would leave their home's First Aid Kit outside his door, finding it used and outside her door the next day with a simple apology note, even as her brother was already long gone.

Since then he'd been ignoring her attempts to talk to him, let alone help him. With her brother coming home late, beaten black and blue. She tried speaking to their shared friend group, only to find them just as battered and tight-lipped. Leaving only her brother's girlfriend as her last resort, for any help. Though even she was at a loss of what was going on, much to her own concern and frustration.

Looking down at the ground Hinata sat beside Meiko on one of the school's steps as she sadly muttered, "He seemed fine after our talk. A bit out of it, sure, but... I just thought that was cause of the fight he was in."

"Do you know what it was about?" Meiko carefully asked, as the short-haired girl only shook her head.

"He didn't say, I thought it was just one of those stupid fights again, but now..."

"Hey," Placing her hand reassuringly on the slightly younger girl's head, Meiko softly cooed, "It's okay. Maybe it is just some stupid fights they're getting into, and they're not saying anything cause they know I'll beat-- I mean discipline their asses." She lightly coughed causing Hinata to crack a smile ever so slightly. "We'll figure this out somehow. We just gotta work together, that's all."

"Yeah..."

She responded with a quick text, sending a reassurance that she would try to actually confront the boy again to Hinata. Meiko opened the next text message from her newest friend, who knew of the situation.

From Em-chan:

So is your brother still coming home beat up?

Though they'd only met recently, Meiko had found herself interacting with and communicating with her new friend Emma since the day they'd first met. Having messaged the girl once she has gotten home, to make sure she herself had gotten home safe. Emma had a vague notion of the frustration Meiko was going through, when she had tried to check in with Meiko over her situation with Takemichi.

To Em-chan:

From what his girlfriend sent me, it looks like it.

From Em-chan: 

Yikes. Sorry to hear that. He still not telling you anything.