⠀⠀( 𝙎L𝗬 F𝗢X ) ~

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀⠀@BBKKGZZ    ...
            
            soul   's   eyes  followed  katsuki   's   movements  while  they  sat  up  on  the  counter,   they  always  were  rather  intrigued  with  how  he  cooked.   it   's   not  like  they   'd   admit  it  out  loud  to  him,   but  he  did  make  some  of  their  favourites...   so,   naturally,   they  would  usually  always  be  there  to  aid  him  in  the  kitchen.   the  saying  went   'whether  for  better  or  for  worse',   but  to  katsuki,   it  was  usually  for  worse.   for  mayu   .ᐣ   it  was  for  the  better,   their  entertainment   .ᐟ
            
            the  auburnette   's   head  snapped  up  at  the  sound,   eyebrow  cocking  upwards  as  if  in  amusement.   they  had  known  him  for  long  enough  now  that  they  weren   't   ever  /truly/  intimidated  by  the  other,   if  anything,   they  sort  of  found  it  amusing  nowadays.⠀⠀⠀their  eyes  lit  up,   though  there  was  still  a  playful  pout  on  their  face  about  it  all.⠀⠀⠀⠀❝    i  can  do  more  than  just   /read/   ,   y   'know   .ᐟ   i   'm   not   /that/  bad   .   ❞⠀⠀⠀⠀there  was  a  laugh  that  followed,   swinging  their  legs  before  hopping  off  the  counter  they  were  previously  sat  on  in  order  to  walk  over  to  him.
            ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀mayumi   's   head  tilted  up  a  tad,   just  in  order  to  look  at  him.   a  small  smile  tugged  at  their  lips  before  it  eventually  became  an  all  too  amused  grin. ⠀⠀⠀⠀❝   c   'mon,   kit-kat   .ᐟ   don   't   be  like  that   .ᐟ   when  have  i  /ever/  messed  up  somethin'   of  yours   .ᐣ   ❞⠀⠀⠀⠀(   though,   they  had  to  admit,   the  idea  of  them  not  being  able  to  have  his  food  for  a  month  /was/  enough  to  make  them  take  it  a  /tad/  bit  more  seriously.   )

⠀⠀⠀╱⠀⠀⠀my  b,   chat.   older  by  alec  benjamin  has  me  in  my  feelings.
            
            'cause  wym,   "   guess my childhood is over   /  i'm taking down my posters and i'm putting my things in a box next to a toaster / that's my closest thing to closure   /   i can't stop this rollercoaster   /   i'm not ready to get older "   .ᐣ.ᐣ.ᐣ
            
            ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀his  songs  made  me  emotional  before,,,   but  pls,   being  able  to  see  his  twelve  notes  tour  live  really  changed  my  perception  and  reactions  ...   /pos

of  course,   i  think  they   'd   all  stay  in  contact  regularly,   frequent  visits  or  dinners  or  family  outings,   considering  they  are  all  they  had  for  so  many  years.⠀⠀⠀⠀but  the  thought  of  that  sort  of  bittersweet  and  melancholic  codependency  is  still  there,   sighs. 

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀which   /then/   leads  me  to  the  thought  that  rody  probably  has  the  same  thoughts  about  mayumi.   and  that...  eughhh.   ⠀⠀⠀rody   's   just  as  used  to  a  lively  household  between  the  four  of  them  just  as  much  as  they  are,   seeing  the  younger  two  grow  up...   as  well  as  seeing  his  little  troublemaker  grow  up  too   .ᐣ   especially  when  they  used  to  literally  be  attached  to  his  hip  and  follow  him  like  a  shadow  when  they  were  a  kid   .ᐣ.ᐣ 
            ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀i  think  it   's   so  bittersweet  between  all  of  them,   because  how  do  you  leave  the  only  people  youve  been  able  to  call  home   .ᐣ   how  do  you  deal  with  witnessing  it,   witnessing  your  younger  sibling(s)   not  need  you  as  much  as  they  did   .ᐣ   he  did  his  job  as  an  older  brother...   which  just  leaves  more  of  his  own  guilt.

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀⠀@frostsburn   ...
            
            it wasn 't exactly a hidden fact that mayumi wasn 't the earliest riser on most days. but with their head laid on the space between their husband 's collar and jaw, curled up into his left side, how could they be .ᐣ ⠀⠀⠀it seemed like the only way they could fall asleep nowadays, even though it wasn 't too often that they found themselves waking when they notice shou not in his spot besides them, but when it /did/ happen...⠀⠀⠀⠀their eyes had opened, tiredness still clinging to them in the early morning, the sound of his movements barely registering. mayumi sat up only a tad, gazing over at him when his shortened name left them, for some reason... the thought of sleeping alone just wasn 't pleasant at the moment.⠀⠀⠀they knew he should have left if he didn 't want to be late, but all they wanted was five more minutes...⠀⠀⠀⠀❝ it 's still early... you don 't have to leave yet, ❞⠀⠀⠀⠀they murmured groggily, eyelids fell half closed again when his fingers met their hair, soaking in the comfort their husband always brought them.
            
            the soul shifted closer to him, if only for a chance to keep him by them before he had another busy day. their eyes gazed up to him, hazy vision still locking onto him thanks to the few beams of sunlight that was pouring through the blinds. perhaps if they weren 't as tired as they still were, they would have reached out for him directly.⠀⠀⠀( when had they become so much more clingy with him .ᐣ it was different nowadays compared to them following him around back in their high school years. )⠀⠀⠀⠀mayumi 's expression lightened when he agreed to staying for a while longer —– and it didn 't take long before mayumi was moving to their side of the bed, making space for shou as they were happy to welcome their husband back besides them.⠀⠀⠀⠀❝ took you long enough, ❞⠀⠀⠀a soft smile, awaiting to return to their usual position by his left side.⠀⠀⠀( their plan had worked. )

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙    @soul4hire   ...
            
            mayumi hummed when they were addressed, hand drawing lines on the page in front of them with the marker they held. it was strange, but nice, to have a bit of free time, an occasion that was once fairly rare that had begun to grow more frequent.⠀⠀⠀⠀they weren 't complaining, though, the caravan was quiet during these times, the two of the older souls now able to focus some time to their hobbies or studies.⠀⠀⠀⠀it was ... rewarding to mayumi, to be able to help around the house more often, or just in general .. rody had taken care of it — of /them/ — for so long. they missed their brother ... missed being able to spend time with him without him feeling the need to look after them the way he had to step up to do, they missed knowing he wasn 't as stressed or as ... tired as he was. they could help .. he was only a year older than them, why did he feel the need to take on so much at once .ᐣ⠀⠀⠀it was then that their head lifted, flint eyes softening ever so slightly. in a way, they knew where it was coming from, though the bigger part of them knew that there wasn 't any thanks needed — how could they ask for something like that, when all they were doing was taking care of their brother the way someone should .ᐣ⠀⠀⠀⠀❝ you say that as if i did something big, ❞⠀⠀⠀⠀there was a soft smile on their lips, simple shrug of their shoulders following as they sat the sketchpad down besides them and crossed their legs, gaze lifting to their big brother.⠀⠀⠀⠀❝ it 's the least i can do for you, considering all you 've done and given up for us since dad... ❞⠀⠀⠀⠀the words falter at the end, expression dampening a small tad before it was wiped away. but really ... if anything, mayumi should be the one thanking rody.
            
            ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀╱   UHMM...   eating  you  rn   ..   crumpling  to  the  floor  and  holding  my  head  in  my  hands   .ᐟ.ᐟ   /affec

/        a lil sumn sumn........ hehe

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@frostsburn   ... 
            
            their  eyebrow  quirked  up,   looking  up  at  him  with  a  curious  amusement.⠀⠀⠀⠀❝   if  it   's   /so/  bad   ,   why  would  you  keep  it,   shou   .ᐣ   ❞⠀⠀⠀⠀mayumi  teased  softly.   they  had  stopped  basically  trying  to  climb  on  top  of  him  to  grab  the  photo,   but  it  didn   't   stop  them  from  leaning  up  to  him  with  an  amused  grin.   when  they  had  rocked  back  on  their  heels  was  when  their  expression  softened  up.   trust  him...   well,   that  was  easy  when  he  was  one  of  the  only  other  people  they  had  been  able  to  fall  so  easily  into  the  whole  'trust'  thing  with.⠀⠀⠀though  they   'd   try  /one/  more  time..   just  to  test  their  luck,   who  knows   .ᐣ   maybe  they   'd   get  lucky  this  time  around.⠀⠀⠀⠀❝   come  onnn,   you   're   /really/  not  going  to  show  me   .ᐣ   ❞

⠀⠀“no!      no need to take a new one.    we've got so many from tonight,    just use those.     i'll keep this one.”      even if he was telling the truth,    he would've kept it too.     but he just didn't want them to see it. . .     how he looked at them.     the softness in his eyes and the way his mouth formed a genuine smile.     he just couldn't,     or he'd never hear the end of it.     “just trust me. . .     okay?”

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@frostsburn   ...
            
            their  eyebrows  furrowed  and  they  began  practically  attempting  to  climb  up  and  around  him  in  an  attempt  to  grab  the  polaroid   —   even  despite  him  moving  away  it  from  them.⠀⠀⠀❝   but  it  seemed  perfect  when we  set  it  up...   does  that  mean  we  have  to  do  it  again   .ᐣ.ᐟ   ❞ 

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@frostsburn   ... 
            
            mayumi  fell  silent  for  a  short  moment  when  he  had  called  them  out,   mentally  going  through  their  excuse  list  once  again,   he  had  gotten  them  there.⠀⠀⠀⠀❝    i  had  no  other  cards  to  play,   the  whole  stacking  thing  just  fell  into  my  lap   .ᐟ   had  to  get  out  of  that  situation  /you/  put  me  in   .ᐟ   ❞⠀⠀⠀⠀their  hand  came  up  to  cover  their  mouth,   a  poor  attempt  at  covering  their  smile  to  go  along  with  it.   eyes  followed  his  movements  before  they  flickered  up  at  their  nickname,    lips  tugging  upwards  into  a  playful  smirk.⠀⠀⠀⠀❝   i  demand  a  rematch  then   .ᐟ   let   's   see  if  you  can  keep  the  winning  streak  up,   unless  you   're   scared,   /shou/.   ❞

⠀⠀“what?    but you stacked your cards before that.     so what now?”      shōto gathered all the card back up to shuffle them.     now either they were going to pack it up or do another game.     but where this conversation was heading.  .  .      “listen,    everything's fair game once you normalize it,     / mayu /.”

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@frostsburn   ...
            
            ❝   yeah  but  you  stacked  it   .ᐟ   that   's   why  you   're   a  cheater   ,   you   're   not  allowed  to  do  that   .ᐟ   ❞⠀⠀⠀to  be  honest,,   it  wasn   't   a  fair  defense..   considering  they  had  done  the  exact  same  to  him.   by  the  end  of  it,   the  two  of  them  were  playing  by  their  own  rules   .. 

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@frostsburn   ... 
            
            mayumi  blinked  as  if  comprehending  what  he  had  just  done,   before  there  was  a  snicker,   and  then  a  laugh  tumbling  out  their  lips  in  return.   had  he  really  just  done  that   .ᐣ⠀⠀⠀they  wish  they  could  have  stayed  'mad'  at  him,⠀⠀⠀(   they  were  never  really  angry  to  begin  with,   it  was  rare  they  were  ever  upset  with  him  at  all,   )⠀⠀⠀but  this  was  the  furthest  thing  they  could  be  mad  at  with.⠀⠀⠀⠀❝   there  is  /no/  way  you  just  pulled  my  own  trick  on  me   ...   what  have  i  turned  you  into   .ᐣ   ❞⠀⠀⠀⠀the  question  came  with  a  light  flick  to  his  forehead,   the  soul  leaning  up  in  order  to  get  close  to  him  to  do  so  after  they  had  been  nudged  away,   just  for  their  own  touch.

⠀⠀he poked their arm one last time,    for extra measure,     as a small accomplished smile came onto his features as they looked at him.    staying silent for just a few moments before saying,     “hello.”     and then softly nudged them away.

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@frostsburn   ... 
            
            the  soul  huffed,   turning  to  look  at  him  with  a  pout ⠀⠀(   could  it  even  be  called  that   .ᐣ   they  were  trying  so  hard  to  fight  off  their  usual  grin.   )⠀⠀⠀❝   shouuu   ...   what  do  you  wanttttt   .ᐣ   ❞⠀⠀⠀they  drawled  back,   sticking  their  tongue  out  in  protest  of  his  point.

/     gosh,    i’m so tired rn ): 

/   where’s will and miya? ):

/     so i came to rattle your brain before i go back to being a slave              TO THE RHYTHM/  JOKE 

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@soul4hire   ...
            
            a  silent  moment  of  thought,   eyes  lifting  from  the  floor  to  him.⠀⠀⠀⠀❝   do  you  think  we  should   .ᐣ   or   ..   do  you  think  he   's   waiting  for  us  to  sit  him  down  and  talk  to  him   .ᐣ   ❞ 

⠀⠀“i'm not sure.     he's.   .   .      he's a smart kid.    i think for lala's sake,    we'll be able to keep it up just a little while longer.”

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@soul4hire   ...
            
            ❝   ...   how  much  longer  do  you  think  we  can  keep  it  hidden  from  him  before  he  asks  us  about  it   .ᐣ   ❞

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@soul4hire   ...
            
            they  blinked  in  silence  for  a  few  passing  moments,   embarrassment  flushed  against  their  cheeks  as  they  turned  away.⠀⠀⠀❝   i  don   't   /ditch/  you  guys..   i  just  don   't   see  him  as  often   anymore   .ᐟ   and  we  always  say  you   're   welcome  to  come  along   ,   y   'know   .ᐟ   ❞ 

⠀⠀“uh - huh.  .  .      sure.     and yet whenever he comes over you ditch us for him.    totally not.”

⠀⠀⠀──★   ˙⠀⠀@soul4hire   ...
            
            ❝   not  this  again,   c   'mon,   i  already  told  you  he   's   not  my  boyfriend   .ᐟ   ❞
            
            ⠀⠀⠀╱⠀⠀⠀PLSSS...   realcore,   me  too..