despair | h. rindo

XV

"I wish we could just thank him right now." Hayami smiled giddily as your mother closed her dress' zipper. "He's pretty busy being a young business man." Hiromi chuckled. "Y/n, when you see him, please thank him for us." Your mother requested.

You nodded as you left their room after giving them the last bag Rindou had bought for them. "Your boyfriend's spoiling our moms and not you." Nahoya laughed, pushing Souya as they played their game.

"Rindou's not my boyfriend." You glared.

"I didn't even say who!" Nahoya laughed even more.

There was a knock on the door and as you opened it, you were greeted by, who you presume, one of Rindou's drivers. "Hiromi and Hayami Komori?" He asked with a smile. "I'll go call them."

~ ~ ~

"Don't burn down the house, you three!" Your aunt warned. "Bye, ma!" Nahoya responded, not even taking his attention off the game. "Enjoy your birthday!" Souya added, his head facing the two but still focused on the game.

You sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen, writing away Christmas stories from the club's entry. You and Yuki decided to revive Operation White Christmas once again. It wouldn't hurt afterall.

The problem was, Akihiro.

The moment Yuki had informed him about it, he disapproved.

You decided to go out for a while, clear your head for ideas. "Where are you going?" Souya asked, putting down his controller for a break. "Dunno. A walk?" You shrugged, slightly struggling to wear your jacket.

~ ~ ~

Rindou was just on his way to bother you once again, -even if it was almost midningt- only to be stopped by his mother.

"It was under my name, mom, why bother?" He defended, fiddling with the ring on his middle finger with his thumb. "You wasted over ¥80,000 on things you definitely do not need." Ayako groaned, taking off her glasses and pinching her nose bridge in frustration.

Rindou looked away from her. What was she going to think when he spent that much money on a relative of the person he absolutely loathes. At least, he thinks he hates them.

Ayako looked at her son coldly, only not to meet his gaze. "Rindou, I am very thankful that you want to take in the family business unlike your brother, but what behavior is this?" Rindou turned to her.

"Mom, when I said I wanted to help you, I didn't mean to train me at the age of nine how stock trading works." He stared at her with half-lidded eyes. A part of him somehow felt guilty he had said that. But it also seemed somehow right.

It only seemed to be a staring contest. One looking down with pride and the other looking up with disappointment.

Without another word from her or himself, he left the room. Eager to just leave the negativity that rose in him. But every step he took, roaming towards the exit of his own home made him somehow even more agitated.

She was going to be here only for a couple more days. She was going back to London anyway. Just like what she always does.

Leave.

~ ~ ~

"Lucky." Nahoya whined, looking at the pictures his mother had taken. "Maybe I should let my future child's cake get taken away by a rich guy." He joked, wincing when you hit his head.

Three loud knocks were heard from the door.

It was already eleven in the evening, who in the right mind would be visiting at such a late time? And in addition, it's already less than twenty degrees outside.

"Y/n, hun, go check on the door please." Your mother requested, wiping her face dry. You opened the door to no other than Santa Claus.

You wished.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" You yelled. "Dunno." Rindou shrugged. "Rindou-kun!" Hayami exclaimed, excitement lacing her voice. But her expression dropped as she saw the boy with light clothing and slightly shivering. "Come in, come in." Hayami ordered, pulling the male inside.

"What are you doing out in the cold?" Hayami panicked, taking the tea her sister had prepared in a hurry. "I was just driving around." Rindou replied with a tired smile, sipping on the cup. "My bike broke down. Guess I haven't had it checked for a while." He chuckled.

Your mother and aunt just looked at him worriedly. "Well, Nahoya you can check that out, right?" Hayami turned to her son. "What?! No way!" The older twin declined, crossing his arms and decided to storm off to his room. "I can have it checked, ma. Plus I know someone who knows a lot about bikes." Souya suggested.

Hayami nodded and turned back to Rindou. "If you want you can stay here for the night." She smield at him. "What?!" You yelled, turning away, jolting your head up from writing. "If it's not a bother." Rindou said. "Of course it is!" You interjected. "No, not at all." Hayami shook her head, ignoring what you said.

"You can stay with Y/n." Hiromi suggested. "Why not the twins!?" You whined. "There's already two of them in one room, let Rindou-kun stay with you."

Rindou looked at you with a smug look as you glared at him. "You're sleeping on a futon." You muttered loudly, storming off to your room.

~ ~ ~

"Wow, is that me?" Rindou squinted, taking his glasses off, wiping it with his shirt and putting it back on to see the picture clearly.

It was the picture you had of him on a dart board. It was still full of darts.

"Huh? Yeah." You answered bluntly.

"I take out all of my frustrations there.

On the dart board.

With your picture." You smiled sinisterly.

"You don't scare me." He glared. You ignored him as you placed the last pillow on his futon.

You sat on the bean bag on the corner of your room as you watched him walk towards his futon, eyes still lingering on the dart board. "You ruined my face." He rolled his eyes as he sat on your bed. "I think it still looks the same." You shrugged, playing tetris on Nahoya's gameboy that you borrowed. 3 years back.

Rindou laid on your bed, raising his arm up as he traced the glow in the dark stars you had placed on the ceiling. "You're pretty childish." He blurted out as he kept tracing the constellations he had remembered his mother used to teach him. "Well I'm sorry I'm taking my time with my childhood."

He stopped tracing and placed his arms down, folding his hands together on his stomach, staying silent after your reply. "Sorry." You muttered. "'S fine."

"You should sleep, you look like a zombie with those bags under your eyes." He chuckled, heading to the futon prepared for him.

You didn't say another word, already afraid to go too far once again, heading to your own bed. As you tried to forget about your mistake, you could hear Rindou shuffling around his futon. But instead of initiating another conversation, you decided to just shut up.

Some say that a mouth that knows no good must not speak at all.