LiBERA (Mairimashita! Iruma-kun Fanfic)

2. This is a family. (Probably)

"You're the only one I trust with him," Father says, depositing Soyo on the hospital cot where Van had been blissfully reading a book, still recovering from death's door. "Don't let anyone else touch him. Consider your life forfeit if you fail."

We spent a whole day getting revenge and you just turned all your good character building out the window, you idiot.

"Soyo," Father ignores his words, "stay good until I'm gone, okay?"

And then he leaves, door slamming shut.

Soyo turns to his brother Van, who has the most irritated, scrunched up, displeased look on his face. His hair is lopsided and in a mess. Apparently, he had incredibly long silver hair that had to be lopped off during the surgery, and they haven't fixed it yet.

His eyes are filled with disappointment. Soyo must be interrupting his alone time, then.

The book he's holding is written in demon language, and Soyo can barely understand it yet. It's a novel, though, he just somehow knows, and his brother reads it when he's feeling upset.

Well, that's fair. Apparently this was all a teenager's spat that escalated when he got ganged up on. He must feel guilty, somewhat, to have caused so much trouble for everyone.

Maybe Soyo's projecting? Oh well.

Gotta do something about the way his brother looks so troubled to be stuck with a child to babysit. He's still a recovering patient, Papa, why'd you leave me here?

Soyo blinks.

He crawls over and his brother flinches— but carefully, maybe falling upon an arm midway through, Soyo makes it up to his brother's face, holding onto the shoulder and getting held up by a confused hand. Van has put the book aside.

Van stays silent, not sure what his baby brother was doing.

And then, eyeing the dog ears, Soyo grabs onto them like handles, before patting him on the head once, twice.

Soyo hadn't had the chance to really register this properly yet, but...

...his family's full of dogs.

Oh my go– I mean, devil, he's not fluffy like Papa but he's so soft. He's so soft. Soyo dives into the fluff, hugging his brother's head firmly, squealing in happiness. He wants to die in the softness. Viva dog family.

Immediately Van grabs the child by the scruff, spins him over, and shoves him into arm's length, looking incredibly frazzled and discomposed. Huh? What happened while Soyo was losing himself in animal enthusiasm?

"Your thoughts," Van finally speaks, and he sounds so exasperated, his eyes are blown wide— ah, they're so red and pretty— and he's very desperate. "Are so loud."

Soyo doesn't know what that means.

Wait. He can read minds?

With a sigh, Van sets Soyo on his lap, seated in his direction as the child looks anticipatingly up at his very troubled brother.

Van's numb and exhausted from everything, trying to focus on recovery, and all he wants today is to read in silence. And yet, Father had to come and bring a little menace.

Oops, I'm making my brother hate me.

"I don't," Van clarifies.

Right, mind-reading. Soyo turns to the book that Van left on his bedside, and points at it. He doesn't want to get in his brother's way.

Van understands what he means, and he stares, conflicted.

"You're quiet now?"

From his bewildered gaze, he's rather surprised. Soyo tilts his head aside, not so sure what his brother's powers entailed to begin with. Can someone actually shut their thoughts up? Or can Van only hear enthusiastic emotions?