October, 6th Tuesday
(Y/n) gently shuffled in her sleeping frame, feeling unusually warmer than usual. As she attempted to kick off her covers in her half-lucid state, she felt an unusual shape from behind her. It was too solid to be the duvet and seemed too heavy to be the sheets. As she felt herself becoming irritated with the overheating temperature, she half-heartedly opened her eyes to notice the unfamiliar form. As she looked towards her side, she noticed an arm that wrapped itself around her waist, causing her to freeze in place at the unexpected sight. When her brain finally reacted to the spectacle, she reflexively spun around to kick the figure out of the bed in a frenzied manner.
As a thud emanated from the fallen body, (Y/n) scrambled to the edge to glare at the person that had laid in bed with her. "Alex! What the hell?!" The male casually sat up, he looked at the female with a blank, neutral expression. "What were you doing?!"
The boy sighed and rubbed his head, "I didn't want you to have nightmares." The girl's furiously scowled down at the teenager and threw a pillow at his head.
"Next time, let me have nightmares!" She sighed at the unconventional wake up she received and stretched her arms as a yawn escaped.
"But I don't want you to be afraid." The male gave her a serious look that seemed indifferent to most of his other expression, making the girl sigh in frustration.
"What time is it?"
"10 am." The female slapped her head at her tardy behaviour.
"Gees I slept in...wait, when did you come into my room?" The boy seemed thoughtful for a moment as he stared at the ceiling, until turning back to the girl.
"8 hours ago." As he nonchalantly answered, he received a deathly stare from the female who wasn't sure whether to be angry or impressed with his stealth. Instead, she threw her second pillow at the boy and wordlessly moved towards her drawer, trying to ignore his occupancy altogether.
The boy watched her as she picked out random articles of clothing until he was noticed by the female. "I'm going to change now so, do you mind?" She determined the boy shuffling in his place, thinking he was getting up to leave the room, so she continued picking out her clothes. However, as she directed back towards the room, she noticed the male facing a corner with his back towards the girl, patiently waiting for her to change. "What are you doing?"
Alex glanced back with a clueless look. "You said you wanted privacy."
(Y/n) could only fixate on the boy's reasoning and how he processes commands, and as he noticed the female's piercing glares he turned back to face away from her, considering that as a sign to leave her be.
"Out!" She pointed towards the door, causing slight confusion in the male. But he did as he was gestured, and left to wait outside. 'Do I seriously have to give direct commands for him to understand me?'
Time Skip
(Y/n) emerged from the room to see Alex sitting cross-legged on the floor beside her door. "What are you waiting for?" The boy proceeded to stand up and awaited for the girl to make the first move. With a disoriented look, she walked past the boy, only for him to follow her like a shadow, downstairs. The girl ignored the male's persistent presence and continued her journey towards the kitchen until she felt her nerves snapping away. "Ok, what are you doing?" She turned towards her follower, who was still observing her from a small distance, only to receive a vacant stare.
"I'm keeping an eye on you." The female's muscles contracted at the statement, being slightly indignant at the treatment she was receiving.
"Dude, I'm not a child for you to be guarding me." However, despite her dismissive comment, the boy proceeded to follow her out of the kitchen area and into the living room where she found the rest of her guardians.
"(Y/n), did you sleep well?" Bako waved at the girl and stopped his activity of sketching to nudge the stubborn intellectual to also greet the female
"You slept like a sloth. In all honestly, it's quite shameful how lazy that is." The teal eyed boy waved her presence off as he continued watching television. 'Though, at least I don't have to worry whether she's restless at night.' The girl chose to look past the comment and sit beside the artist and observe his work.
"What are you drawing?" The male glanced at her intrigued expression before holding up the sketch he had been dilatorily working on, nearly making the girl snicker at the sight. "You must really like pizza, don't you?" She analysed the drawing of the food they had prepared the previous day and shook her head in disbelief. Bako shrugged at her judgement and continued drawing.
"I'd much rather have this on my mind..." The girl sat down in front of the male and carefully followed every hand movement that he made, to create each small detail. "A-anyway, what do you usually have on your mind?"
'Escaping this hell hole...' The girl shrugged in response, "Do you mean in general or around this time of year?" Bako glanced at her with curiosity.
"What do you mean 'this time of year'?"
"Oh well, around Halloween, the twins and I try to make up excuses for them not to visit their aunt and uncle." Bako slightly chuckled at the obscure information.
"Why is that?"
"Every year, their aunt and uncle invite them to help decorate their house for Halloween. What makes it harder for them is that they have these -quote on quote- annoying little cousins, that get sugar high almost every minute." The boy put down his work to fully place his attention on the girl, and leaned in to listen further. "So I usually help them get out of the predicament, like last year I had to pretend that I gave them my flue. It was a long shot but their parents bought it and it's been pretty much like this for the past 3 years..." The girl lullingly looked down to the table as she spaced out at the memory of her friends. The thought that she wouldn't be able to spend the holiday with their company seemed almost alien and too unlit to even imagine.
"You miss them don't you...?" (Y/n) sighed and looked away from the boy as her blood began boiling.
"I guess I should just get used to it, right?" She spitefully commented, meaning it more as a begrudging statement than an innocent question.
"(Y/n), could you be a lamb and make me some coffee." Kaito piped up from the couch, receiving a bewildered glare from the female.
"What?! Why me?!"
"Because I said so. Now go and I'll give you a piece of candy." He dismissively waved his hands towards the girl and focused back on the television. (Y/n) scowled at him for a few seconds before standing up and stomping to the kitchen, being closely followed by amaranth eyed boy.
"Fine, if it means I don't have to see your smug face I consider it an honour." After the girl disappeared into the cooking area, Bako glanced at his friend.
"You don't even like coffee."
"Maybe, but I need to take her mind off of the whole subject with her friends." Bako exhaled at the response and scratched his head.
"What if she never forgives us for what we've done so far?" The ruby haired male's finger twitched at the concern and focused back on the TV.
"She will sooner or later accept the circumstances." Though even he was unsure whether that was a solid theory and could be easily debunked when he considers how the rest of the males fit into the plan.
Kaito was snapped out of his pensive state by the loud clatter of a ceramic object against the table. He looked down to see the cup of coffee he had requested and glanced towards the irritated female that had slammed the mug in front of him. "Enjoy." She bluntly stated and strode away from the group. Kaito eyed the creamy, brown liquid in the cup and lifted it up towards Alex, who had emerged from the kitchen not too long after the girl.
"What did she do to this?" He regarded the silent boy and indicated towards his drink.
"Salt and baking powder instead of sugar, and apple juice instead of water." Kaito sighed in response and set the cup down, making a mental note to throw the liquid away.
"What am I going to do with her?"
As the girl occupied herself with the two dogs, along with the quiet company of the animal lover, time seemed to pass by with crawling stealth until it was almost time for the rest of the occupants to arrive.
"So is this how you do it?" She had been taking lessons from Alex on training the two animals and had been gesturing for the command that would silence the two K9s that were bouncing around in the garden. She received the immediate effects of both dogs settling down and calming their hype. "Haha! Finally!" She exhaled as elation filled her frustrated mind.
"Angel! My darling, how are you?!" She heard the euphoric greetings from a person quickly approaching her, and was unprepared for the knocking impact she received from the individual as they threw themselves towards her. "Hi!"
The female quickly shook him off and pushed herself away from the boy as she felt her sore neck aching. Ryo slouched at the reaction he was recognized with and stared at the female's introverted body language while ignoring the irritated glare Alex was quietly seething with. "Sorry, I'm just not the cuddly type." The female tried to give him a reassured smile, but ended up wincing as the bruise began inflaming against her skin again. "I'll go and get myself something to eat." She stood up and proceeded to enter the house, leaving the boy with a disheartened look..
'I wonder if (Y/n) is feeling alright today...I hope there's nothing bothering her.' Jin distractingly spread butter on his toast and stood at the far corner of the kitchen, in deep contemplation. While his hands worked reflexively, his mind was held a long distance away from reality. 'It's been only 4 days and she doesn't seem to be too comfortable being here...especially yesterday. I wonder if I did something wrong.' He gave a small sigh as worry began itching its way into his nerves. 'I hope I can see her smiling again.' He optimistically thought and a small grin crept on his lips.
He had been so distracted that he had barely noticed the second presence that had entered the kitchen, and the male glanced behind to see the girl he had been reflecting over, making her way towards the fridge. The boy prepared to greet her with a welcoming demeanour when he hushed himself as he noticed what the girl was preparing. His curiosity grew when the female took out the ice tray and selected a few cubes to place them in the cloth she had provided herself with. As his intrusiveness was displaced with suspicion, Jin quietly walked towards the unsuspecting female. He stood still to stare at the girl, stupefied as she placed the cold cloth against her neck, feeling some relief from the chilled sensation on her skin.
"What are you doing?" (Y/n) gasped and in her startled state, dropped the cloth with the cubes, letting them shatter against the ground in variously sized specks of ice. She turned around to see the male fixating his gaze -filled with a disorder of emotions- towards her. For that slight moment, they were left staring at each other like deers caught in headlights as either side expected for the other person to speak.
"H-hey Jin. Where did you come from?" She playfully spoke, evident with her attempts in hiding her nervousness, while no reaction came out of the boy standing in front of her. After a few seconds of silence, her eyes wandered towards his hands to see the knife he was still clutching onto. "O-oh you were- you were preparing something to eat?" She inquired the boy with an innocent undercoat to her voice. She gulped as Jin approached her with his perplexed glare, and instinctively backed away at his advance.
"What were you doing?" He repeated his concern and watched the speechless female stumbling for words.
"I-I was ju-just...playing around with the dogs wh-when they bit me...so I was just-" before she could fully conclude her bluff, the boy shoved the girl against the fridge, causing the exterior to rattle from the impact and the oxygen to leave her lungs. She sensed the boy's hand taking hold of the collar of her shirt and before she could react, he pulled back the material to uncover her bruise. The moment he laid his dubious eyes on the mark he felt his mind dropping every thought that ran through, and completely blanked out on the bite.
"What...?" His voice came out shaken and unbelieving as he analysed the marking on the girl's skin. (Y/n) smacked his hand away and tried retaining her composure and laughing the whole situation off.
"Haha, yeah the dog really got carried away. I guess it's my fault for trying to wrestle around with him, hehe..." However, the boy's eyes held anger that was too unfamiliar for the girl to recognise. As her hands began shaking she felt the male's gaze looking past her excuse.
"The dog...? You mean these human teeth marks were made by a dog?" He stared at the girl's faltering composure and clenched his fists. (Y/n) bowed her head in surrender and tried to move past the boy, but was pushed back against the fridge. "Who...?" It was the single word that was spinning through the male's jumbled mind. "Who would do this to you?!"
"N-no one! Just leave me alone, I've dealt with it!" Nevertheless, she received the counteracting treatment from the brunet.
"Why won't you tell me who it is?!" He shook the girl by the shoulders but received a scowl from the female.
"Just leave it! It's nothing!" However, as she was about to push past the bewildered boy, she felt the cold, thin surface of a blade being pressed against her neck. She avoided gulping, trying to minimise any pressure that would be put against the knife and stared at the male in front of her.
"Why won't (Y/n) tell me who did this? Why is she hiding this from me...?" He kept his focus on the girl's frightened eyes and kept a firm hold on the knife he was threatening her with. "Why is (Y/n) keeping this from me?" The girl felt the point forcing itself against her neck, threatening to puncture the layer of skin. "Unless...unless she let them do this to her." The boy had a horrified expression with a hue of anguish flashing on his face. "No, (Y/n) would never let anyone do this to her..."
"J-Jin please...put the knife down and we can just talk, ok?" She tried to soothingly calm the male down, but none of her words seemed to get through to him.
"(Y/n) won't tell me who hurt her. Why won't she tell me who did this?" His voice and demeanour became more demanding with each question until his hands began trembling with anticipation.
"Jin stop it! Just relax!" But her advice was empty to him, until he would receive the name of the person that created the bite.
"If she won't tell me...then she'll tell a friend, right?" He gave her a gentle smile that created a panicked effect on the girl. "I can get that restaurant girl here...then (Y/n) can tell her and I would find out...does (Y/n) want me to call that girl over?" The female frantically rattled her head in objection to involving Sei into the whole mess.
"No Jin, please. She doesn't need to come here, just leave it." However, the boy proceeded to apply more pressure against her throat, forcing a whimper out of her.
"Then can (Y/n) tell me who did it?" After receiving no response to his question he shook his head in disapproval. "I don't understand...but I'll get the information one way or another...even if I have to do something drastic." Jin spoke out his last words in meaningful rectitude while keeping deep eye contact with the terrified girl.
Just as (Y/n) felt her heart stopping, the boy in front of her disappeared at the blink of an eye, leaving the female in a stunned moment of composure as she gathered her thoughts to see what had transpired.
"Don't touch her." Alex had driven the brunet against the wall, grasping onto his shirt as he pinned his shoulders to the surface behind him. He bared his teeth at the boy and viewed him straight in the eyes to predict any upcoming confrontation that would occur.
Jin was shaken by the unforeseen attack until a small smirk played on his lips. His attacker gave a low growl, feeling a pointed tip being pressed against his nape. As the two males refused to break eye contact between each other, Alex kept an unyielding hold on the armed male, while Jin retained the position of the blade against his assailant's cervix. "Alright, let's see who draws first blood." He grinned at the enraged boy.
Both the males stood at a standstill, waiting for either to make the first move when the rest of the residence entered to witness the conflict. "What are you two doing? Release each other at once." Kaito commanded the confronting disputants in a dominating tone, though his request fell on deaf ears as both the boys ignored his demand and continued biding their time with one another.
"Stop it!" (Y/n) shouted at the two rivalling males with an insisting tone which seemed to impact their reasoning as they slowly retracted simultaneously from one another, only wary glanced being exchanged.
As the entire ambience gradually normalised. The two opposing boys separated without a word bartered between them, allowing everyone to sigh in relief at the avoided confrontation. The teenagers got slightly startled as the silence was pierced by the ringing of the doorbell.
Looks of expectancy were traded until Bako took the liberty to regard the call. After the boy left to answer the visitor, Kaito looked back at the two males that were still reciprocating their sieving glances. "What happened here?" Either one of them looked away and tried to avoid the question. "Explain."
Jin glanced at the scarlet haired intellectual and shrugged off the concern. "It was nothing..." He glanced back at the girl, expectant of a future explanation over the subject that triggered his anger.
Seeing he would receive no categorical implications from the brunet, Kaito turned towards the quiet animal lover for a response but Alex was simply contempt with the immaculate health and wellbeing of the girl, so he remained quiet. Kaito sighed out his frustration, realising he would acquire no further insight on what occurred or its argumentation.
After a while, the cobalt-eyed male returned from replying to the visitor, with a paled face and concerned facial expression. He turned towards Alex with a sympathetic smile, regretting on taking the duty of reporting the newcomer's presence. "Alex...your mother's here."