Broken Strings (Len x reader)

Chapter 6

(Y/n)'s POV

By the time I got home, the rain had finally stopped. I could hear dad's snoring coming from the lounge room so I quietly slipped past.

Haku-nii was lying on the couch with his arm over his eyes, fresh blood seeping through his clothes. He also had cuts on his face. The expression on his face was one of exhaustion and fatigue, as if he had had enough of this.

I dropped all my stuff and rushed to his side, afraid of what I'd see under his shirt. The blood was already beginning to make me worry.

"(Y/n)..."
"Haku-nii, don't talk. This looks serious."
"Everything's always serious..."
"I'm sorry I couldn't come home any sooner. Here, sit up. I'll treat your wounds."

I went to my room to get the medical supplies but before I got the chance to do anything else, Haku-nii had his head on my shoulder. He leaned against me and we just stayed like that, neither of us saying anything.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that I finally broke the calm, soothing silence.

"Sit down."

He did and painfully took off his shirt, which he just tossed carelessly to the side. I held back a gasp as I looked at his bare back. It was full of scratches, each of them very deep.

I immediately got to work, cleaning the blood away. Although I couldn't see his face, I could tell that he was in a lot of pain. Our dad hadn't done something this serious to us for a long time.

"Before you say anything, let me just confirm something with you. This - none of this - is your fault. I can't keep you trapped at home all the time," exclaimed Haku-nii.
"But-"
"What happened with you though? Who's jacket is that? Is it Len's? Have you finally won him over?"
"...no, that's impossible."
"Oh...did you two fight?"
"Yeah, it's kinda a long story."
"Tell me anyway. But first, who's jacket is that? And at least get changed into something dry. You'll catch a cold."
"The jacket belongs to Hihara Kazuki and not with you in here."
"What? I even took off my shirt with you here and you're not willing to do the same?"
"Oi! That's different!"

He just laughed. I lightly smacked the back of his head before bandaging his body. While doing so, I reluctantly told him the whole story. I told him everything that had happened and just poured everything out.

By the end, I had burst out in tears. Haku-nii pulled me into a hug. How could Len do this to me? How could Hino?! I thought they were my friends...I guess not.

"Tch, those stupid bastards. I'll make them pay-"
"Omg, you're not actually-"
"Yes, I am. Don't you dare try to change my mind," he stated with a fire lit in his eyes.

~The next day~

After my horrendous lesson with Hajime sensei, I rushed off to class. Len completely ignored my presence, not even giving me a glance. Fine then. If they were going to be like that, I would too.

The time seemed to pass slower than usual. Maybe it was because of my fight with Len yesterday or maybe it was because the lesson was boring, but I couldn't ignore the uneasy feeling in my stomach.

At lunch, I saw Hino with Len in one of the practise rooms. Wait, wasn't that mine? The necklace that my mum gave me? Why did she have it? Maybe there was more than one, that had to be it. That necklace couldn't possibly be the exact same one as mine.

"Yo (Y/n)!" Hihara greeted.
"Hey, I washed your jacket. Here."

I handed him the bag. He simply thanked me and grinned.

"Ah! Get your head away from the window! There's a spider!" he yelled.
"What?! Where?!"

I immediately jumped back and hid behind him. I waited for him to do something, but all he did was start laughing out loud. What? Seriously? Did he...just pull a prank on me?!

"Hihara-"
"You mean Kazuki."
"Whatever, Kazuki. I actually thought there was a spider there! Like what the hell?"
"You seemed really gloomy so I thought I'd cheer you up," he replied cheekily.

I facepalmed and let out a heavy sigh. We weren't even that close and he was worried about me? Geez...

"(Y/n)?"
"Keii-"

The door to Len's practise room opened. Hino stood there with an angered expression on her face. She marched right up to me before saying anything.

"Can you please be quiet?! Tsukimori and I are trying to practise and all we could hear was your loud chatter!"
"Whoa, calm down Hino. It wasn't her fault," Kazuki exclaimed.
"I bet you're just trying to get Tsukimori's attention. Well, guess what? He doesn't care about you, not even a little so just give up. You've already found yourself new boyfriends so why don't you just go away?" she said fiercely, ignoring Kazuki's presence.

I clenched my fists, barely managing to stop myself from punching her in her 'oh so righteous' face. I held back my anger and walked off angrily. She had no idea what I was thinking so she can't just assume! It wasn't fair! I did nothing, nothing at all, to hurt her...

~After school~

I quickly out of the classroom, trying to run away from all the nasty rumours that had circulated around me. Hino was probably the one that spread them.

As I walked outside the building, I saw Haku-nii leaning against his motorbike. He actually meant it...I thought he'd just leave it alone.

Omg, he was getting everyone's attention. I did not want to walk up to him with the large crowd of girls fangirling over his looks. He made eye contact with me and grinned.

"Yo (Y/n)!"

Damn it, I hated being the centre of attention...