angels like you (rini au)

F O U R

~chapter four~
tw: mentions of child neglect

Ricky's eyes fluttered open, with the sunlight shining into his eyes from his curtain blinds. He rubbed his eyes before sitting up against his headrest. His alarm hadn't gone off yet, and one of his least favourite things on the planet was waking up earlier than he should. It was bad enough that he had to wake up extra early everyday to get Annabella ready, but any earlier than that was just the universe trying to punish him.

It was then that he remembered he wasn't actually sure if his sister would be going to daycare today. She wasn't the type to pretend to be sick, because she actually loved going to school. As you can tell, they weren't exactly completely alike. Although, they did look very similar. Any nearby stranger would know at first glance that Anna was either his sister or that he was a teenage dad.

They both had the same bouncy brown curls, they had the same contagious smile, they had the same eyes. She was even starting to develop his infectious laugh, which Ricky took any opportunity to hear. If Anna managed to grow several more inches overnight, they'd undoubtedly be able to pass as twins.

Taking his eyes off of ground he was looking at as he day dreamt for the first time that morning, he got up and started making his way towards his sister's bedroom. He knocked on her door and there was absolute silence. No response back to him, and no sign on any movement in her room. He knocked once more, and receiving the same empty response, he pushed open her door.

He saw her laying in her bed, her legs sprawled out as her mouth was slightly open. He walked over to her and moved her hair out of her face. "Anna?" he called, as he shook her awake slightly. "Anna?" he repeated.

She hummed quietly as she turned to face him. "Hi," she greeted tiredly. "Hi princess," he greeted as he ruffled her hair slightly. "Hi Ricky," she replied. "Do you feel any better today?" he asked her. She stretched her arms as she shook her head to say no. He sighed as he sat her up against her headrest. "What's wrong Annie?"

"My tummy still hurts. I feel nauseous," she told him. She didn't pronounce it right, nauzious, but he was still able to understand what she was trying to say. "I'll get you some water and some food, okay?" he offered her. "I wanna help," she whined. "Bella, stay in bed and rest," he instructed. She huffed before frowning and crossing her arms.

Despite not wanting to see her sad, her moving around would probably just trigger more vomiting. And he was not in the mood to keep watching her vomit. He had seen enough of that to last at least another 3 years. He made his way the many flights of stairs to get to the second floor, and was caught off guard by the ruffling coming from the kitchen. He paused for a moment to make sure he was hearing correctly. Now would've been an excellent time to have a baseball bat on him. He considered running back upstairs to lock his sister in her room away from the intruder, but him making so much noise would probably alarm the stranger more.

He tiptoed carefully down the stairs, taking deep breaths as he did so. However, as soon as he heard the beer bottle pop open, he knew exactly who it was. His shoulders relaxed, but his face was tense.

He let go of his light footsteps, and walked normally into his kitchen and rested against the door frame. "A little early for beer, don't you think?"

Ricky watched as the bottle was placed gently on the countertop, and he was greeted with a friendly smile. "Hey! Look who it is," he grinned. "Are you drunk?" Ricky inquired. "Drunk? No, I'm tipsy. Major difference," he answered. He let out a loud burp which Ricky grimaced at. "Gross," he muttered as he watched the man stumble back a bit.