Broken Strings (Len x reader)

Chapter 23

(Y/n)'s POV

"Haku-nii!"

He was lying on the couch with his arm over his eyes. The blood was seeping through his shirt and onto the cheap fabric of the couch.

"Geez (Y/n)...where's Tsukimori?"
"He went home after walking me here. Why didn't you tell me that dad beat you up?!"
"Just-...*sigh* Why didn't you hang out with him a bit more?"
"Haku-nii, you-"
"(Y/n), I hate it, okay?! I hate how I'm always causing you to worry when you have better things to do! I hate how I'm always disrupting your time with your friends because you're worried about me..."
"...is it wrong to worry about someone I care about?..."
"Huh?"
"You are a surprisingly hard-working, rude, arrogant tsundere and I am someone who cares about you! You should be grateful that someone actually pays attention to a bum like yourself! If I really did think that you wasted my time, then I'd have stopped caring about you a long time ago!"
"Wow, what a harsh way to put it. Apparently I'm a tsundere and a bum according to my sister."
"S-shut up."

I grabbed the medical supplies and settled down beside Haku-nii. He sighed in irritation before showing me his wounds. I managed not to gasp and carefully treated all the cuts and bruises.

When I heard his low growls, I immediately stopped and started to do it more softly. As I was doing this, I couldn't help but feel guilty for all this. Haku-nii always got beaten up when I wasn't home...it was all my fault...

Maybe it would be better for him to find a new home. He didn't deserve this...after all, I couldn't do anything for him...geez, I was doing a pathetic job at being a sibling.

"Are you done yet?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah."

I finished wrapping the last bandage and packed everything up. Suddenly, a candy was shoved into my mouth.

"Cheer up, sis. I'm not going to die. I still need to look after a baby so I can't die yet," exclaimed Haku-nii.
"H-hey! I'm not a baby!"
"Yes you are."

~The next day~

I saw Len by the school gates and waved. He gave me a small smile before walking towards me. But before I got a chance to do anything, his lips were on mine. I could only blush as he deepened the kiss.

I barely had a chance to kiss back before he pulled away with an obvious blush on his cheeks. For some reason, he looked cute like that.

"Wow, he actually did it!" Kazuki yelled, drawing more attention towards us.
"Did what?"
"I dared him to kiss you when you came to school. He was reluctant at first but didn't exactly say he wouldn't."
"Len, is that true?"
"*blushes more* Y-yeah...well, I didn't mind kissing you..."
"Huh?"
"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it."

Kazuki smirked at us and showed us a picture. I stopped myself from beating him up so instead, I elbowed him in the stomach. He bent down with a pained expression.

"Geez, you're stronger than you look," he said.
"Like I care."
"Maybe you could be a little gentler next time..."

Len cleared his throat and slowly started to walk to class. I quickly followed him. He gave me a smile and reached for my hand.

As we were walking down the hallway, I was suddenly pulled back and slammed against the wall. Ugh...who the hell was that?

"(Y/n)!"
"What the hell, Hino?"
"Stay away from Tsukimori. He's mine!"

I looked at Len, who simply sighed in annoyance. What happened? I thought he said that she wouldn't bother us anymore. She clenched her fists in anger before letting me go.

"I'm sorry...I guess old habits die hard. I promised Len I wouldn't interfere in your relationship," she exclaimed.
"Why did you though?"
"He said he'd give me tickets to watch his parents' next performance for free. *sigh* Not like you'd understand why I would want to go..."

She hurried away before I got a chance to reply. I looked out the window and noticed that it had started to rain. Well, it looked more like hail because of how much there was.

"Come on, let's go to class."

I could only nod as Len gently led me to the classroom. We had arrived early so no one was here yet. Len handed me a rose gold bracelet. It was beautiful.

"What's this for?"
"It's just a simple gift," he replied.
"This looks expensive, I can't-"
"Keep it. I'm not taking it back."
"But-"
"You have to accept it. I won't take no as an answer."
"...well, thank you. It's beautiful."

I put the bracelet on and smiled happily. It seemed so bright compared to me...but I was happy. As I was admiring the little trinket, Len pulled my arms above my head and kissed me.

"You've been looking at that too much. I want you to look at me," he said.
"Well, too bad."
"Too bad? Maybe I shouldn't have given that to you."

I just poked my tongue out at him. He simply smiled to himself before sitting down.

"(L/n) (Y/n)!" Hajime sensei yelled.

He held onto my shoulders with a tight grip.

"What the hell have you done?! It was you, wasn't it?! You reported me to the police to save your good-for-nothing brother! I have a daughter to look after!"
"...so you expect me to save you because of the fact that you have a daughter?"
"What else would I want?! Now hurry up and tell the police that everything was just a prank!"
"Hajime sensei, who's the mother? Is it Michiko Ai?"
"W-what? I-"
"So it is then...I'm sorry but I can't help you."
"Why?!"
"I...have my own family to look after and I simply can't help someone else with their family problems. You treated my brother poorly and even threatened him with my life. I don't know why you hate us so much but I can't help someone who has done such terrible things to my family."
"...do you really want to know?"
"Know what?"
"The reason why I hate your family."