Rays of sunlight filtered in through the curtains, showering the girl's bedroom in luminous stripes, falling on her body resting under the covers. She turned away from the light, only for a pained groan to fall from her lips at the motion. Her eyes fluttered open, a hand shielding her from the Sun's warm gaze.
Her head hurt like someone had stepped on it, throbbed like a whole orchestra was blasting in her head.
She slowly sat down on the bed, her body crying in protest as it begged for her to lay back down. Her eyes roamed over the room. She tilted her head to the side.
What was she doing in her room ? Wasn't she supposed to sleep at-
Oh, right.
It didn't end well for her last night. And poor Nathaniel had to take her home.
A heavy sigh broke through her lips and she held her head in her hands, both to hide from the glaring sunlight and to contain her crushing headache. Gosh it was all too much, the light, the noise of birds chirping outside her window, the taste of alcohol and vomit bitter in her mouth and the scent of breakfast downstairs.
She wished she could simply lay back down and sleep it off. But her dry throat and pounding head required her attention.
She was in desperate need of water and painkillers.
Reluctantly she draws the covers off of her, slowly swinging her legs out of the bed, feet touching the cold wooden floor. A chill ran down her spine.
However before she could make another move the door opened gently. She turned around, eyes immediately falling on her older sibling. He approached her with a glass of water and held it out to her.
She didn't miss the dark shadows under his eyes and his dry lips.
"Drink up." He instructed softly, careful to keep his voice down not to enhance her painful head.
The girl's eyes fell on the glass in her hands and she looked back at the male. "Do we have any painkillers ?" Her head felt like it'd explode any moment now.
"No, you don't take painkillers for hangovers. It is not recommended."
Yuu had never gotten drunk, not ever. In fact he had never tried a drop of alcohol before, and it didn't tempt him either. So he had to look it up for some indications on what to do in case of a hard after party. They had stated painkillers were to be avoided.
The female nodded slowly before downing the glass of water like she hadn't seen a drop in years. She wiped her chin and placed the glass on her night stand, eyes looking up at her brother.
He didn't budge, gazing at her silently through heavy lidded eyes.
He hadn't gotten much sleep, his whole night spent watching over her in case she'd wake up in need of something. He couldn't wait to take a nap. But for now he had to make sure she took care of her hangover correctly.
"Are you alright ?" Her soft voice stirred him out of his thoughts, blue eyes meeting hers. He managed a small reassuring smile, hand ruffling hair affectionately.
"Yes, don't worry. Let's get down for some food now, okay ?" He cooed.
And indeed warm wafts of scrambled eggs and toasts floated to her nostrils. But she didn't know if she could stomach anything at the moment. The taste of last night still very much present in her mouth, a sour reminder of the good time she had.
Her nose scrunched up.
"I'll take a shower first, and get changed." (Y/n) explained, looking down at Jean's dress which still covered her body. She heaved a sigh of relief, happy to see she hadn't thrown up on the fabric.
The black haired male kept silent for a moment, pondering over what was best for her at the moment. Well, the forum had said a shower did some good.
"Fine." He finally answered. "Make sure to get down for breakfast."
He turned around and slowly headed for the door, steps heavy. But a thought stopped him in his tracks, hitting him like a truck.
What if she tripped in the bathtub and hurt herself ? What if she passed out all alone in the bathroom ? Could he really leave her alone in such a state ?
Last night she had looked so fragile under the covers, locks of hair messily framing her features and eyelashes caressing her cheeks under the weight of slumber.
Maybe he should stay with her just in case ? After all, better safe than sorry, right ?
"Yuu ?" She called out, probably wondering why he stopped midway out of her room.
She looked at him, head tilted to the side and big doe eyes interrogating him.
No, he couldn't leave her alone.
"I'll help you shower, get in the bathroom and I'll retrieve your pyjamas." He decided, walking over to her closet, eyes not meeting hers. He knew she wouldn't agree.
And as expected he soon heard the sheets shuffling as she got up and approached him, a light scowl on her face.
"What ? I'm not a baby ! I can shower myself." She insisted, hands on her hips as she regarded him, a hint of anger shining behind those eyes he loved so much.
He shook his head, dismissing her claims. "You're hungover, (Y/n). You can't do it yourself." He explained calmly, not looking up at her as he grabbed her pyjamas.
"Yeah, I'm hangover, not on my deathbed." She retorted, taking the tee shirt and shorts from his hands and storming out of the room. Honestly she knew Yuu could be a bit overprotective sometimes but this was just downright ridiculous. And right now with her raging headache she had absolutely no patience to deal with his bullshit.
She walked down the corridor with a huff, ignoring the steps following behind her and the wooden floor creaking under the boy's feet.
"What if you slip and crack your head ?" He asked, aggravation clear in his voice. "What if you-"
Okay, that was enough.
"I'm not made out of glass !" She remarked, louder than she intended and she cringed as her own voice rang through her head like sirens. "Now please, I need to take my shower. Alone." She insisted, exasperation lacing her voice.
Yuu's eyes followed her form as she disappeared in the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A frown crossed his features and he approached the door, sliding against the wall and to the floor.
Well, he'd wait here just in case, ears attentive to any suspicious sound and ready to jump into action.
He hated when she got stubborn like this, simply because there was no way to shake her resolve.
(Y/n) let out a contented sigh as the warm water trickled down her skin, washing off the scent from last night and appeasing her aching muscles.
Did Mia sleep at the party ? Or did she come home ? Gosh (Y/n) didn't even have the time to tell her she was leaving. Not like she had been conscious enough to do so though.
Had she been worried when seeing she was nowhere to be seen ?
The girl's heart squeezed in her chest at the thought.
She had been so irresponsible. She knew she should have taken it easy on the drinks, shouldn't have taken these three glasses of weird blue concoction. But this was her first party, with her first girlfriend, and she wanted to impress her.
She took some water into her mouth and spit it out before drying herself off and sliding in her comfortable pyjamas.
She'll send Mia a text to reassure her.
Turns out Mia had sent her multiple messages, both last night and this morning, clear worry and guilt transpiring through her every word.
Mia : 'Where are you ? Are you alright ?'
' Please, (Y/n) answer me. Are you alright ?'
'Where are you ? I can't find you ?'
'Did you go home ? I'm sorry I shouldn't have left you.'
'Please, I'm worried. Tell me you're doing okay ?'
The female lost no time in typing up a response, fingers flying across the screen of her phone.
'Sorry I didn't really take alcohol well and Nathaniel took me home... I'm alright though.'
An instant reply.
Mia : 'Gosh (Y/n), you had me worried sick ! I'm so glad you're doing fine though. Do you need anything for the hangover though ? I can come and give you some things if you want ?'
A soft smile came over the girl's lips as she stared at her girlfriend's answer. This was a tempting offer. But Yuu seemed dead set on taking care of her and she didn't want to upset him more. A frown had been etched between his brows ever since she got out of the bathroom.
Plus, she could use some time alone to sleep and get lazy.
'Thanks but I'm okay :) My brother designated himself as my private nurse.'
The sound of cutlery on the table tore her attention from her phone and she looked up, a bowl filled with what seemed like mashed banana sat in front of her with a spoon.
"Banana, cinnamon and brown sugar." The male explained, sitting down beside her with a plate of his own. Usually she would have killed for eggs and toasts. But not at the moment, the simple thought revulsed her and made her nauseous.
"Thank you." She answered with a grateful smile, eyes meeting her brother's as her spoon dove in the slimy mixture. She brought the food to her mouth, slowly chewing on it.
In spite of its less than flattering appearance it actually tasted good. The banana and sugar like velvet on her tongue, sweet and soft, warm. She could definitely eat that. She plunged the spoon in the food once more, eating up.
The male stared at her, eyes soft and a light smile on his lips. The sight sent butterflies to stomach, heart swelling in his chest. She was eating the food he had prepared for her. And even though it was not much he still found himself entranced by the simple gesture.
From now on they'll be off to a new start.