Corpse Bride || Haitani Brothers/OC

13 - smile

"I don't even know why I'm not as mad as I should be," Hikari sighs.

Koko nods at her sympathetically. he sat across the girl, the both of them residing in one of the private booths for a drink. he had been quite happy that she reached out first.

"I'm surprised you still want to talk to me, Hikari," he says with a small smile, "I'm the biggest liar there is."

"second to Ran," she adds pointedly.

"second to Ran," he agrees, "I wouldn't fake my own death."

she lets out a deep sigh as she downs her drink. they'd been here for hours, and because of the lack of windows and her leaving her phone at home, she didn't know the time—she wasn't curious either, although she could feel the brothers' worries from all the way where she was.

"do you know why he hid from me?"

"no, why did he?"

she shrugs.

"I don't know. I was too afraid to talk about it."

"and why would you be afraid, Hikari?"

she shrugs again, then downs another glass.

"he abandoned me, what good reason could there be?"

Koko scans her face as he leans on his elbows. "I think you know better than anyone that he would never abandon you."

"you're right," she grins, "but I don't know anything at all. Ran's not so big on confrontation and telling the truth."

"like you'd know, you won't even let him talk to you."

"who's side are you on?!"

"yours, and while I love that we're out together, I'm not the man with answers."

he was right, and she knew that she'd have to face Ran one way or another. but the truth felt like too much to bear. maybe she was better off not knowing. there were so many questions running through her head, the only problem was that they were the type of questions Ran loved to dodge.

she recalls their fight at the hotel that day, and how despite him saying all those things—that he did everything he did for her—it all ended with no real confessions. Hikari wouldn't actually know anything about love, she did all the loving in her life. not once had she been the one more loved, not one who would be taken care of.

well, until Ran. but did he love her?

"do you think Ran loves me?" if she were sober, she would've never said that out loud.

"he does, oh and look, he's sent me the twentieth message tonight, telling me to take you home."

"he never said that though."

"that he loves you?"

she nods.

"does he still have to say it?"

of course he did. he had to. he's only ever called her a fake wife, his entertainment, and at some point, someone he doesn't want to die just yet. what was love anyway? maybe she was more incapable of it than Ran.

"can you take me home now?" she softly says. Koko nods at her as he stood up.

"you'll talk to him?"

she snorts, "the question is if he'll talk to me."

+++

when she had arrived home, she'd expected Rin to bombard her with sermons right away like he always did, but it was quiet. there was no one, at least at first glance. she walked over to the middle of the living room where a man laid on the sofa.