Sae slowly reached his hand to her doorknob, hoping her room wasn't locked. To his surprise, it wasn't.

He opened to find Seiren lying flat on her back, her headphones on as she stared up into the star stickers on her ceiling. Sae decided to lay down next to her, taking her headphones off before placing them on his stomach. The two laid in silence before he heard her gulp soon after he heard sniffling. Is she crying..? Sae tilted his head to the side, staring at the tears that dripped down onto her pillow.

"Get out Sae.."

"My sister is crying."

That made her want to cry even more.

She knew how emotionally unavailable her brother was. It was also the reason why he never brought a girl home. He was always so blunt, always said what was on his mind without ever thinking about the consequences. She hated she was just like him. "What happened today?" Usually he'd ridicule her, laugh at her but today was different.

"Why do you care all of a sudden? You never cared when this was happening before? So why?" her voice cracked, barely recognizable from her usual tone. Sae remained silent. Seiren sat up. "Why do you have to be my brother? Huh? Why do you and Rin have to be sooooo cool that everyone else just forgets about me?" she rubbed her eyes a bit too hard, now she couldn't stop.

"No one even knows my fucking name. It's always Itoshi this, Itoshi that! Mom and Dad always tell me to keep up the good grades. They don't care about my interest. They only buy me this stuff to fulfill the fact that I don't have any trophies like you two. It's just you two on that stupid wall!" Sae could feel a lump in his throat. Why had he not noticed anytime sooner? Was he just that busy with football to even figure out how his own sister was feeling?

"Why do you think I'm never home after school. It's so fucking dead in this house. When you and Rin left to go to training camps in the summer..I was by myself cause Mom and Dad were traveling for work. I had nothing. I couldn't text you guys cause of the time difference. You changed after you came back and Rin's just an asshole now." Seiren cried out. At that point, she was sure the rest of her family could hear her but that didn't stop her from talking.

"So just because Number 39 poured water on me all to get Rin's stupid attention..now you care Sae?! Now you care at the fact that nobody fucking likes me because I'm just your sister and nothing else?! That I'm not a football player like you two?"

The silence was loud. The air conditioner had came to a stop, the clutch Rin had on his shorts had fallen loose. Seiren grabbed her headphones, jumping out of her bed before pulling her sweater over her shoulders. "Where are you going? You shouldn't be out this late." Sae got off her bed, following her around her room. "Leave me alone." Seiren shoved him away, walking out of her room before going down the stairs.

"Renny..where are you going?"

Rin mumbled, trailing after his sister until she slammed the front door shut. Sae stood by the top of the stairwell, Rin by the living room. The youngest sibling stared at his brother before hearing their mother sigh from the kitchen. "Just let her be..She'll be back. She always comes back.." Kei muttered, leaning her head back while Sae stood still.

"You let her leave like this..?"

"It's a way for her to blow off steam. She talks back but she's here at the end of the day."

"What? Mom.." Rin mumbled, hurrying off to go get his shoes from his room while Sae walked down the stairs. "She's your daughter. It's dark outside. She might not come back this time. Have you thought about that?" Sae felt frustrated at himself, frustrated at his parents for letting this build up and go on for so long. He should've realized the difference when he came back from camp, how Seiren seemed so off. Like the life was stripped out of her.

Rin sped out of the house, seeing that her bike was gone. Sae stared at his mother, waiting for her to do something. "Why is Dad still in his room? Shouldn't you guys get her?" his voice slowly start to rise. As an older brother, all he ever swore to do was to protect his two younger siblings and now he felt like he failed. "She'll be back Sae. Stop this."

He had only seen the sweet, loving side of his parents. This could only confirm how lonely she must've felt.

seiren :p
is reo there

seiren :p
actually idc. i'm sleeping over

Nagi looked at his screen, watching the messages pop up before turning over to Reo. "Something happened with Seiren.." he mutters, handing his phone over to the male. "You think it had something to do with her brothers?" Reo suggested, going over to Nagi's closet and pulling out the inflatable bed he had bought whenever she stayed. "I think so." Nagi fell on his bed, letting out a deep sigh.

Before they knew it, a knock was heard on their door. Reo rushed to open it, finding a crying Seiren at the door step. "Oh shit." he said, pulling her in while Nagi stood in the hallway. "You're crying Seiren." the male points out the obvious, Reo glaring at him. "No shit.." Reo sighs before bringing Seiren to Nagi's room.

"What happened? Do we have to fight someone?!"

"You can't fight Reo."

"..Shut up Seishiro!"

Seiren managed to let out a laugh as Reo pulled her into a warm hug. "I just want to sleep.." Closing her eyes and nudging her face into his chest. Nagi carefully pulled her away. "Not yours." he said, Reo smacking his hand away, hugging her again. Nagi pouting. "Are you hungry? Have you had anything to eat?"

"I ate at Yoichi's." she said, pulling away from Reo before scooting herself onto Nagi's bed. "Oh right. Forgot you two are doing a project together." Reo said, sitting next to her while Nagi sat behind them both. "Wait." Reo and Nagi then immediately eyed each other. "You said Yoichi." Reo squinted his eyes at the auburn haired girl as she did the same to him. "Is that..not his name? Is that not what I've been trying to remember?"

"Fair point..but his first name? You guys are on first name basis that quickly?"

"He suggested."

"And it stuck to you?"

"Stop asking questions."

Seiren laid her back on the mattress, eyes falling onto his blank ceiling. Her mind was clouded. She didn't mean to say too much to Sae but everything just came out all at once. She took a deep breath before tucking herself in his bed. "Hey. That's where I sleep." Nagi laid on his side right next to her, picking at her skin until she turned around and faced the other way.

"Just let her be. We'll sleep on the air mattress." Reo then fixed the bed, grabbing a few pillows and blankets while Nagi kept his eyes on his own bed. "Kay.." the tall male then dropped himself right on top of the air mattress. "You're going to pop it like that?! Don't do that!?"

———

"Seiren. We have school in like..an hour if you wanna go get a change of clothes.."

Reo gently nudged her. After she laid on Nagi's bed, she never knew how comfortable it was until she passed out. "Hm..?" Seiren stretched her limbs, sitting herself up. "School. Remember? It's Tuesday." Right. Seiren forgot about everything that happened the night prior. "I'll just go home." She scooted herself to the edge of the bed, rubbing her eyes as Nagi turned on his phone.

"Uh..Reo." he said, glancing at Seiren before showing the male his screen.

itoshi#1
7:02 am

itoshi #1
if you don't reply to my messages
i'm personally going over to your
place and throwing your door down

That's when they heard a loud knock at his door. "Who's there..?" Seiren muttered, still half asleep as Reo rushed over to the door. "Just let me open it. Go back to the room." Nagi said, pushing Reo out of the way and waiting for him to disappear. Once he opened it, he was met with a tired captain of his team. "I..just got your message.." Nagi mumbles.

"Is she in there."

"Who..."

"Lie to me again and you're kicked off."

"Right this way Captain.." Nagi sighed, leading the way to his room as Seiren watched the bedroom door open. Sae stared at the setup of Nagi's room. His bed then the airbed next to it. "I hope you guys didn't try anything funny.." he muttered, walking over to Seiren and grabbing her arm while she tried resisting. "We're not like that." Reo glared at Sae.

"Let go of me Sae..!" Seiren said as they made it to the front door, his grip tightening. "We were looking for you everywhere.." He came to a halt, his back facing her while she stared at his feet. His favorite pair of shoes were covered in dry mud, he was still in the same pair of clothes she last saw him. His hair was disheveled, opposite of how he usually kept it.

"You don't understand.." Sae took a pause. He was looking for her everywhere, going to neighbors houses asking if they had seen his sister. "..how worried I was Seiren." he glanced back at her. Her heart dropped at the sight of his eye bags. Sae always took care of his skin, always had a proper nights rest. "Let's go home. Please." he never begged for anything, never asked for anything. Though he pleaded for her to come back.

Sae looked over his shoulder, staring at Reo and Nagi before shutting the door behind him. Once the siblings were out of the apartment building, Sae turned the corner into an alley way.

"What makes you think it's okay to run away when you're feeling like this?" Seiren avoided his gaze. "Huh? Why do you think it's okay to just leave..?! If something had happened to you and I didn't find you at their place..then what? Then what?!" Sae rose his voice to which was rare. It only ever happened at practice because his teammates were just annoying but to his sister?

This was probably the first.

"You're my little sister!"

"I know that Sae."

"You talk it out with me. I don't care if you yell or scream but we're going to talk it out because you're not ever leaving the house like that ever again." Sae pointed his finger at her while she fought tears. He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry." he said, pulling her into a hug. He hates hugs. "For not paying more attention.." he then backed away.

Should she feel guilty for saying how she felt? Her eyes were stuck on the ground below her as they made their way back home. Rin. Seiren knew how her younger brother looked up to her in a way, how he always followed her around when they were kids. "We're not going to school today so text Isagi you're not going to his house."

"Huh? I can't miss class..I have work to do.."

"Are you serious? Take a day off Renny."

Once they were in their neighborhood, she could see Rin sitting on the footsteps to their house. She felt guilty. Her little brother had red eyes and his legs were sore from walking around at night. Her heart broke but she needed air. To go someplace she found comfort in. Once Rin heard a pair of footsteps, his head turned in their direction.

"Renny.."

Rin, also the last person to ever show affection, squeezed his sister into a tight hug just like how he used to whenever they were younger. "I can't breathe Rinnie.." Seiren muttered before he let go of her. Sae glanced at the driveway, their parent's car still in park. "Let's go." he said, taking his dad's keys from out of his pocket and unlocking the car.

"..Dad said you can't drive his car.."

"I couldn't give two shits. Get in. We're getting ice cream."

"It's morning.."