𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐗

𝟐𝟎 | 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

꧁꧂

Wanting to be left alone, still not in the mood to converse with Ashton, (Y/N) had moved to the back porch about ten minutes ago with a glass of water in hand, her (E/C) eyes glazed over as she stared out in the distance at nothing. She was thinking about many things, from her doctor's visit to how strange Ashton had been acting, and was so consumed by such thoughts to the point where she barely registered the patio door sliding open.

The footsteps were what snapped her out of her trance, quickly glancing up to spot Jay.

He looked surprised if anything, in his hand a violin case that made her quickly realize that he had been about to play again. Yet, just as she stood up to give him some privacy, the smirk on his face made her stop entirely.

"What?"

"Can't get enough, huh?" He tilted his head as he propped a fist on his hip.

Mumbling something unintelligible under her breath, finding that she still felt a bit awkward around him since their last conversation had been about his mother, she began backing away little by little with her glass clutched firmly in her hands. Jay raised a brow at that, rubbing the back of his head when noticing how tense she seemed.

    "Alright, then... what's wrong with you?"

    "Nothing's wrong," she shook her head adamantly. "Nothing at all."

    "Doesn't seem like it."

    (Y/N) said nothing at that.

    "If you're acting like this because of earlier, you should know that I've already accepted it all," Jay hummed as he leaned against the side of the house, referring to their conversation at school when she had accidentally brought up his mother. "I don't mind her being brought up. The only reason I asked you to keep my playing the violin a secret was... just to keep her close, you know?"

    "Yeah, I just know that some subjects are... touchy, is all," she murmured, already her mind flashing back to how she had lost her father.

    "I know, but this one shouldn't be something you need to be wary of."

    "You should say that to Mikael," (Y/N) couldn't help but roll her eyes when recalling the time the two had first met, he quite hostile towards her since he initially thought of her and Miranda replacing the woman who had kindly brought him in. "I guess, though... he has changed some. It's hard losing someone close to you, so to lash out is natural, as much as I wanted to drop kick him into next week."

    Jay stifled a smile at that.

    She chuckled lightly too as she then continued, "But he apologized."

    "Mikael? He apologized?" Jay seemed almost impressed by her comment. "Now that was something I didn't expect to hear."

    "Really?"

    "No. Mikael is very... stubborn."

    "Makes sense."

    The two fell silent after a moment, the only sound being the soft chatter and clutter from inside the house, alerting them that someone was in the kitchen doing something. But for some reason, (Y/N) couldn't help but feel a small weight lift off of her shoulders at Jay's words. She knew that she had been bitter about her father's death for a long time and had snapped at anyone who even mentioned him, including her mother. It was one of the reasons why she tried so hard to make life easier for Miranda by being a good daughter. So, when she accidentally brought up Jay's mother, she had wondered if he was going to snap just like she did.

    But he didn't.

    Instead, despite her being awkward about it, he allowed her to see past everything. To see the happiness in his mother's memory despite her having passed away.

It was nice.

    "So... want me to play something for you?" Jay suggested as he held up his violin case with a knowing smile.

    "Sure," (Y/N) returned his smile.

    But as his bow slid across the strings and filled the garden with a beautiful but somber tune, the two didn't notice Kai staring down at them with a rather frigid gaze. His lips had already thinned into a small line that showed his displeasure at the scene before him, something that surprised him since he knew it shouldn't be a shock if (Y/N) became closer to his brothers since they were all living under one roof.

    But, still.

    It's quite an irritating sight.

    Letting the curtain fall after Jay finished his song and both he and (Y/N) went inside, Kai decided to shove his unease entirely from his mind.

    He found it revolting.

    He found how twisted it was revolting.

    Remembering the way (Y/N) had been so tense around everything and everyone when she had first arrived at Takeshi's home had stirred feelings of sympathy within Kai, the very reason why he extended his hand out and offered to drive her to and from school. He had merely thought of her as an outside force who he had no business with, but quickly found himself correcting that notion into something entirely different.

    Something strangely different.

    And as Kai agonized over (Y/N), said girl was currently sitting on the couch with her mother as the cooks and help prepared dinner, Takeshi beside them with an arm slung around Miranda.

    Soon enough, everyone was downstairs.

    Everyone save for Haru.

    "(Y/N), would you mind going upstairs and getting Haru?" Takeshi asked as he stood up and adjusted his cuffs, a polite smile tracing his lips while his light eyes danced with a rather easygoing emotion. "Tell him it's time for dinner. Thank you."

    The girl visibly cringed.

    But she still did as she was asked and trudged up the stairs, albeit reluctantly.

    Well, shit.

    I am really not looking forward to this.

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