❝ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜᴇʀ, ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ?❞

╰──➤ TIME FOR SIBLINGS

Ajax closed the front door behind him as he entered the house and scanned the area to see if you were around. He tiptoed toward the kitchen and poked his head through the doorway, seeing no one present. He released a sigh of relief, but it was too soon.

"Finally home, I see."

He yelped in surprise and spun around to see you near the staircase, "Oh! Y/n... We need to talk."

Your expression softened into one of guilt, "Yeah, I know."

Without another word, you both sat on opposite ends of the sofa. There was a fleeting silence before you spoke again.

"I'm really sorry," you breathed. "I shouldn't have called you a burden, or been so harsh..."

"Well, your delivery could've been a bit nicer, but you were kinda right..." He chuckled bitterly. "I know I haven't been the most reliable... Or just reliable at all. I don't want you to see me as a burden, and I'm sorry I've made everything so hard for you."

He exhaled before continuing, "I found a new job at Yae Publishing House."

You raised your brows and turned your head to look at him, "Really? That was a little quick, wasn't it...?"

He shrugged, "They were severely understaffed, so it didn't take much. Besides, the position doesn't require too much experience."

"That's great," you gave him a relieved smile. "I have just enough money to keep us good for another month."

He scooted closer to you and you noticed an envelope sticking out from his pocket. He twisted his body toward you and raised his hand, placing it on your head and giving you a reassuring smile.

"We'll be okay, I'll make sure of it."

Your eyes widened, and your expression quickly morphed into one of skepticism. Noticing this, his smile dimmed slightly, but you gave him a nod. As in: 'this is your last chance'.

Meanwhile, Scaramouche furrowed his brows as the brightened laptop screen illuminated his face within the darkness of his bedroom. Bags piled under his eyes to showcase his lack of sleep, and he could almost feel them weighing down his eyelids, but he refused to rest until he finally clicked sign up.

He'd filled out a form for the Teyvat Artist Awards. Though he already completed his own and submitted it, he now had the job of finishing yours. He was hesitant, doing this without your permission, and his mouse had been hovering over the button for at least twenty minutes. He refrained from calling you since it was late; plus, he wanted it to be somewhat of a surprise.

Finally, he pressed down and the application was submitted, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief as the burden of anxiety lifted from his chest.

"God, I'm tired," he mumbled to himself until his head jerked in the direction of the door at the sound of a soft knocking.

He forced himself out of bed and opened the door with a bored expression until he saw a vexed Makoto standing in front of him. He parted his lips to speak, but she beat him to it.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I'm having trouble sleeping since I ran out of melatonin."

He slowly nodded before stepping into the hallway, "Did you tell the witch?"

She smiled slightly at his 'nickname' for their mother, "I told her a few days ago, but she told me to deal with it."

He followed at her side until they reached her bedroom door at the end of the hall and entered. It was slightly smaller than Scaramouche's, but there was less clutter on the walls and floor. He shut the door as quietly as possible and turned back to his sister.

"You've been out for days and you didn't say anything to me?" He asked while she slipped under her blankets.

"Well, um, you seemed... Busy. You always seem busy," she frowned and he crouched down beside the bed to be eye-level with her.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "It's just a lot, alright? The babysitting thing, the tutoring, and taking more hours at work... It's hard to find time right now. That doesn't mean you can't open your mouth and talk to me, though."

"I know, but..." She shrugged. "...Why are you taking so many hours, anyway?"

"It's not gonna be for much longer," he replied. "I'm covering for a friend."

"A friend? You mean the friend you drew and framed on your wall?" She teased with a hushed giggle.

"I- Shut up," he grumbled before turning to the small bookshelf beside her bed, acting as a nightstand. "Anyway, what book do you want me to read?"

"I think you should tell me the story of whoever convinced you to actually draw a living, breathing person," she insisted.

"You're not gonna let it go, are you?"

"Mm, probably not."

"You're such a pain in the ass," he playfully rolled his eyes and pushed his palm gently into her shoulder before moving to sit on the edge of the mattress.

"I know," she smiled.

He puffed out a breath, "Her name is Y/n. She's a photographer."

"Oh? Anything else?" She queried.

"Hm," he hummed, gazing down at the carpeted floor. "She doesn't like taking pictures of people, she likes (favorite color), and she writes poetry, but I've never seen any of it. Her little brother, Teucer, is the one I'm babysitting. Honestly, he's weirdly thoughtful, considering the fact that he's a child."

"I'm guessing there's more," Makoto commented.

"Yeah, but I don't want you to be up all night," he clicked his tongue.

"You do like her, though?"

He paused and glanced at her as he formulated a response, "Maybe. I think she likes me, but I'm not sure if it matters. Even if I did say something, I feel like she'd be getting the short end of the stick."

She sighed, "She's the one you've been doing all this work for, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You're actually doing more than the bare minimum, which is unusual for you. No offense."

"Wow, I'm hurt-"

"I just said no offense."

"Well if that's the case, you're ugly. No offense, though!"

She laughed, "Fine, I'm sorry, but you can't deny it."

He shook his head and leaned over to the bookshelf, "Whatever. Tonight, you're getting... 'If You Give A Mouse A Cookie'."

"Wh- That's a kids' book!" She objected.

"Exactly!" He smiled, flipping it open to the first page. "If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk-"

"Nooo!" She whined, slapping her hands onto the page.

"If you didn't want me reading it, you shouldn't have put it there," he stifled a laugh. "Is this another one you kept for 'nostalgic purposes'?"

"Yes!" She hissed, ripping the book from his grasp with a playful glare. "Yes, in fact, it is. I hold it dear to my heart, but please, god, don't try to read it."

"Okay, fine," he complied and picked out a different story. "'The Falling In Love Montage'? Is this mature enough for you, your highness?"

"Oh- Uh, yeah," she stammered with a subtle nod before she shifted on her side, facing away from him.

Scaramouche ignored her somewhat odd response and glanced down at the book, which held two girls on the cover. He flipped it open and began reading the lines on the paper aloud. His attention was entirely focused on the story, so even after an hour passed and Makoto drifted asleep, he continued until he was on the edge of passing out as well.

♕︎❯────「♕︎」────❮♕︎

Once your sickness had improved to the point of disappearance, you were perplexed on what would be the best way to spend your time.

You hopped down the stairs, feeling brand new after waking in the late morning. However, confusion showed on your expression when you saw Teucer and Ajax readying themselves to leave.

"Where are you going...?" You asked curiously, noting that Teucer was dressed like a tiny businessman. It was cute, but odd.

"I'm taking him to work with me. Miss Yae said it's fine for him to be there, as long as he doesn't cause any trouble," Ajax explained while ruffling Teucer's hair. The younger boy glared up at him before smoothing it back down in an attempt to look more 'professional'.

"Yeah! I'm gonna help Big Brother Ajax!" He said proudly.

You blinked and raised your brows, "Are you sure? I could just take care of him here, I'm feeling better-"

"Just enjoy your day off, Y/n," Ajax said. "I, uh... I tried to make food for when you woke up, but it..."

"It tasted awful," Teucer finished the sentence with a brutal tone.

Ajax grinned nervously, "Aha, yeah... That. So instead, I ordered some of your favorites. I used a friend's money, don't be mad at me please!"

You narrowed your eyes at him, "...What did you get?"

"...(Favorite food)."

"It's fine, then," you smiled. "You didn't have to, though. I'm capable of-"

"Yeah, well you've always made meals and stuff for us!" Teucer interrupted.

"...Thanks," you exhaled happily. "Have a good day."

"You, too!" They said in unison before exiting.

The door clicked when it closed and you promptly sauntered into the kitchen/dining area. You retrieved your phone from your pocket and checked the time. Realizing that it was a weekend, the idea to call Scaramouche immediately popped into your head.

"Hello?" Scaramouche said on the other end once the ringing ceased.

"Oh! Hey, um, I was wondering if you would come over today," you responded. "I have to do the classwork I missed, so... it could be a good studying opportunity."

"Even though I've already done it," he snickered.

"Well, then maybe you could do it for me and let me enjoy my day off," you joked. "Anyway, you coming or not?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a bit. I'm at the pharmacy right now," he replied.

"Wait, why are you at the pharmacy?" You questioned, opening the fridge to see a plastic bag with boxes of food stuffed inside. You put the phone on speaker and set it on the counter, using your hands to grab the bag.

"My sister ran out of melatonin, so I stole some of my mom's money to get more," he answered as he tossed the bottle of melatonin in the air and caught it.

You laughed, "You stole her money? Why not just ask her?"

"Well apparently, Makoto did ask for a refill on it, but my mom just told her to 'deal with it'."

"Sounds like someone needs to attend 'Parenting 101'," you said.

"No shit," he agreed. "I'll head over after I get this home."

"Okay!" You chimed, beginning to check the boxes to see what foods were inside. "I'll see you then."

"Yep."

[I can't tell if he still seems like Scaramouche or if he's just my OC at this point plz help-]