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The Shinonome siblings were never particularity close, nor did they get along in the slightest. They're both somewhat aware they care for each other, even though they show affection in a... unique way. It was the norm for them, and nothing would change..
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The divorce of their parents had initially been brushed off by the pair of siblings. They saw it coming, afterall, it was long overdue. The arrangement was simple: they'd live with dad and see mom twice a week for dinner.
Like their sibling relationship, Akito and Ena hadn't ever been particularly close to their parents either. The endless arguments between Ena and their Father, the neglectful behaviour from their mom. It didn't exactly scream 'loving family'.
The Shinonome siblings felt bitter, in their heads the situation was just a big "I told you so," to their parents who had always sworn they'd stay together to 'keep the family alive' - as if it ever was.
They thought- no they knew - they'd just get along with their normal lives as if nothing had changed, as if nothing had impacted them.. and they were kind of right. They did pick up from where they left off... for at least a year.
What changed? Well...
Their dad wouldn't stay single forever.
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Sun shone through the curtains, a ray of sunlight falling onto Akito's sleeping face. Slowly, his eyes opened, the sunlight making them seem a brighter green instead of hazel. Akito winced and squinted his eyes, turning around to face away from the blinding light. He groaned and groggily sat up, picking his phone up off the bedside table.
Despite his rough and tough exterior, he took pride in taking care of his phone. After seeing Ena break her screen countless times, he took it as a sort of.. challenge? This meant that his phone was practically unharmed. Of course, he couldn't be perfect (much to his disappointment) so there were a few scratches here and there... but it was almost new in its condition.
Akito checks his messages as he always does, making sure he hadn't missed anything important.. like from Toya.
Notifications:
★WhatsApp:
•VBS: An: Heya everyone, just checking if practice tonight at 5pm sounds good?
•Sara: Hello. My parents were thinking of coming around for Christmas after hearing what happened. Just letting you know.
Akito sighed, nothing from Toya.. nor was there anything of interest at all. He wouldn't admit his disappointment.
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Considering it was already 8am, he stood up.. ignoring the few moments of dizziness.. and stretched before going towards the full-body mirror in his room. Akito looked at himself, man he looked..
"Tch.. stupid," Akito mumbled before turning away from it and retrieving his binder from the floor. He pulls it on, then layers two t-shirts on top; one was a somewhat baggy long-sleeved black top with a slightly high collar (but not so high it felt suffocating), the top layer was white with a 'cool' design on it. This was his go-to choice when he felt dysphoric. Not only did it hide Akito's body, it also provided him a much-needed warmth.. like comfort he's always wanted but never got (although he'd never admit that).
Akito pulls on some baggy black cargo pants that evened out the size of his legs so you couldn't see his curves that well. When he got older he had started finding clothes that would hide his curves well and looked good, Akito even started buying from brands made specifically to do so.
He turns to face the mirror, feeling a bit better as he ran his fingers through his ginger locks to neaten them up.
Akito hears his phone vibrate on his bed, maybe it was Toya? He speedily walked over and sat down, unlocking the phone in anticipation.
Notifications:
☆WhatsApp:
Ena: Be ready for 12, dad wants to take us to a cafe or something.
His face scrunches in disappointment, its just Ena. He would've preferred anyone but Ena.
After the initial disappointment, Akito actually bothers to read the message, his eyebrows furrow, a cafe? Their dad actually wanted to take them somewhere?
It was all a bit... weird.
Ena (annoying sister)
Ena: Be ready for 12, dad wants to take us to a cafe or something.
Akito: Aight, I'm surprised you're awake.
Ena: Dude do you think I want to be? Dad barged in my room and woke me up.
Akito: lol
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Akito stretched and put his glasses on, he'd only wear them at home really. He thought they ruined his 'illusion of masculinity' whatever that meant.
The sound of the TV blasted from downstairs before going quiet again, Akito slowly left his room, one hand in his pocket and one carrying his phone.
When he got downstairs he saw a tired-looking Ena sat lazily on the couch, she was eating leftovers from dinner.
"Yo." Akito said, he cringed at the sound of his voice.
Ena flinched and looked behind her, seeing Akito stood there.. he looked tired, "What are you doing." Ena scowled with disinterest.
Akito rolled his eyes, "Existing?" He plopped himself on the couch beside her, "Why are ya so grumpy, shitface."
Ena crossed her arms, "Dad woke me up. I usually need my beauty sleep and four hours isn't nearly enough!" She elbowed the ginger in annoyance.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Akito sighs,"You take like an hour to choose a fuckin outfit."
The brunettes eye twitches, "I don't take that long??," she looks away from Akito, clenching her pajama shorts.
"Yeah right."
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Akito checked the time, 11:30, they should get going soon... The ginger contemplated on whether to put his contacts on or not.. He wasn't gonna see anyone he knew, right? It was just a weird café trip with his family.
11:45, Akito shouts, "Ena! Get your ass down here or we're gonna be late!" To project his voice, he had to let himself lose control...
《You sound like a girl.. Akito.》
He gripped his arm, nails digging into his pale, freckled skin and making it stingy and red... There were now indents under his sleeve, marking today's failure.
Ena runs down the stairs, clutching her black handbag, it was cute and classy, a few bows put on the edge of the handle by the rim. "Geez, Akito!" Ena complains as she checks the time, "C'mon dude! We still have 15 minutes and you're shouting at me like we're gonna be late or something!" She huffs.
Akito looked down at the ground, putting his hands into his pockets, he really didn't wanna deal with his sisters bullshit today. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that." He mumbled.
Akito wasn't one to directly apologise, especially to Ena of all people, his guilt was usually shown in random acts of kindness like gifts, or generally being more considerate. His quietness was different too, but not that unusual; interactions with their dad puts him in a sour mood.
However, he can't help but feel the steadily ascending weight on his shoulders as he grew more and more aware of his voice.
The ginger looks up at Ena again, noticing the long-sleeved jirai-kei style attire.. It was the start of summer for fuck sake.
He'd be a hypocrite to point it out though.
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The walk to the café was awkward, an uneasy silence falling upon the siblings, suddenly, Ena spoke up, "Why is dad randomly inviting us to a café? Is he finally tryna be a parent?" She scoffs.
"Dunno. It's weird as hell though." Akito responds dryly, he sounded fed up already.
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They get to the café, it was one they'd been to countless times as it was closest.. and had great food!
It was a small building, situated next to the local grocery store. A few people were sat on the tables outside, the tall umbrellas shading them from the suns rays. The two siblings walk inside, feeling the cold air against their skin was amazing after the hot, sweaty walk there... They both visibly relaxed then remembered what they were doing, Akito looks over to the booths and spots their dad... with a woman?
In that moment, Akito seemed to realise what this was all about. The ginger looked down at Ena, who was still distracted by the immense relief the ac brought her.
"Ena, C'mon." He said bluntly, nudging her arm and making his way over to the booth. Ena followed along.
When the duos dad noticed them, he gave a slight smile... their dad? Smiling at them? It was an odd sight...
The mysterious woman beamed at Ena and Akito as they sat down. She was average height and her figure was.. somewhat conventionally attractive. She had a smart but casual outfit on, dyed-blonde hair flowing down her back and framing her petite face.
Akito smiled back at her politely, causing Ena to shoot him a disapproving glare.
"This is Yori Tsumi, my fiancé." Dad said, gesturing towards the blonde woman.
Akito and Ena tried to hide their shock, "Nice to meet you, Tsumi." The ginger expressed, his smile not meeting his eyes.
Ena crossed her arms and stares at Yori, "Yeah, nice to meet you. Would've been nice to know sooner though..." she mumbles as she looks to the side, making her eyes focus on the way the plants swayed in the slight summer breeze.
The blonde woman continues beaming, "You two are so polite!" It was clear she didn't mean it, "I hope we get along, considering I'll be moving in. You can even call me mom if you'd like."
Surprise plagues the siblings' faces.. this was sudden.
"We have a mom already, thanks." Ena rolls her eyes.
Their dad shoots a piercing, angry glare of disapproval at her.
That was the first time they met their new 'stepmother'.
That was how their summer started.
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A few weeks had passed, and Yori had shortly moved in, nearly all evidence of their mom living there had been erased.. to the younger two, the feeling of the house missing something became more apparent, something that made it a home.
The woman had been overly kind, dealing with the siblings bs with a smile plastered on her face.
Alas, the rainy part of the summer season had come. The family were all doing their own thing, dad was painting in his room.. some sorta gift for a friend's birthday. Yori was at the kitchen table, watching something on her phone while sipping tea. Meanwhile, Ena had just woken up after working throughout the night and Akito was studying, much to his dismay.
Hours pass and the siblings start to get increasingly warm, sweaty, hot and bothered. Akito came out of his room just to see Ena, still in her fluffy winter pajamas.
"How are you not dying?" The ginger questions as he walks up to her.
"I am, dumbass. This is all I have and its irregulary warm AS WELL as being insanely humid. I'm usually fine." She retorts, pushing back her bangs and wiping the increasing sweat off her forehead, "Seriously, its like the ac isn't doing shit!"
As if on cue, Yori appears, "Language Ena." She smiles bitterly, "It's because the ac is broken, change into something more conventional maybe? We're having a family dinner and I won't let the heat stop us, okay?" The woman twists her smile up even further then turns around and descends the stairs.
The two were visibly pissed off, this random woman suddenly entering their life and acting like a parent- like their own goddam mom! It was so fucking annoying...
Akito turns back to Ena, "Seriously? A family dinner.. is she mad?"
The brunette replies, "Yeah, ain't no way. Dad is gonna be too occupied and I'm not going downstairs, it's way too hot."
"Yknow it'll be colder down there.. I think." Akito puts one hand on his hip.
"Since when were you good at science?"
"I thought that was common sense.."
Ena sighs, "Look, if I wanna try stay cool, I have to be in my bedroom. I've got a huge fan in there, plus I can wear short sleeves." She looks down to the floor at the last part.
Akito's expression softens, but he tries to keep his supposed 'tough guy' act, "Look, we're at home.. cant ya just show them? Yori doesn't know, but she's too irritatingly polite to say anything.. plus, they're gonna be super healed by now, right?"
Enas expression soured, "Just cuz everyone knows doesn't mean I wanna show them off! I'm not some attention seeker, and plus.. They're.." she trails off at the end.
Akito clenches his fist, he hated his sisters annoying voice, "They're what? I swear to God we've been through this- they're not disgusting or bad, just proof you survived something, blah, blah, blah." The ginger says as if he'd repeated it a million times before (which he probably has).
Ena gripped her arm, a bad habit the siblings had in common. She then stormed off, Akito felt guilty, of course, he often blamed this shit on himself... and usually rightfully so.
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As summer went on, Ena became more isolated.. it was unbearably hot, so she wanted to wear light clothes to keep cool, which would inevitably show the scars that lined her arms. She knew they were part of her journey. She knew she had to live with them- she couldn't just huddle up in her room every summer - but the thought of people seeing them.. was soul-crushing.
Every day, she tried to remind herself, "They're a part of you, nothing to be ashamed of." But she was ashamed.. the brunette was afraid, afraid of being judged... afraid of others rejecting her for what she had been through. For fuck sake, she couldn't bear to look at them herself!
Well- she hadn't tried..
She didn't want to try...
《Ena Shinonome is a wuss.》
What she didn't know, was that her younger brother had caught on...
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The day was particularly miserable, it was warm but gray outside.. the humidity was high and the girls room felt increasingly suffocating.. looking down at her arms grew more and more painful the more she isolated, so she had covered them up anyways.
《You're pathetic, you may as well leave your room, but you cant, can you?》
September- the last month of hell..
A sudden, quick knock was heard from her door. Ena begrudgingly got up from her desk and walked towards the sound, hand moving forward to twist the handle. Before the brunette could finish the action, Akito barged in, clearly pissed because she took so long.
Ena jumped, and her eyebrows furrowed in anger, "Dude I was ready to open the damn door! Don't just barge in like that!" The shorter girl crosses her arms.
Akito rolls his eyes and rubs his temples, "Well it's your fault for taking so goddamn long then? I don't have all the fuckin' time in the world." The ginger runs a hand through his silky locks, "Anyways, cuz ya haven't been out your room all summer, Akiyama is bored as SHIT, she invited Toya shopping for gods sake, entertain your goddamn girlfriend!"
"Fuck off Akito! She probably just wanted to hang out with Toya, is that so difficult to believe? Or are you just gonna blame me for everything," Ena clenches her fists then sighs, "Why are you bothering me anyways? Did your partner drag you along or something..." in that moment, her rage seemed to dissipate, leaving a tired, hot and bothered Shinonome.
Akito's expression softens, slightly, "Yea, he did drag me along. Akiyama spent half the time talkin' about you it fucking suckedd," The ginger looks down at the bag he had shifted out of the older girls sight before he knocked, "Your girlfriend is actually concerned about ya, yknow? She wants you to leave your goddamn room..."
The brunettes body stiffens, "I'm alright in here, she shouldn't be concerned, she gets to hear and see me every night.. maybe you're using her to hide you actually give a crap? Like you always do, using other people to secretly communicate that you care cuz you're too worried about breaking your tough guy persona!"
Ena, well, she was Ena... but the Ena Akito knew wouldn't be this pissed over it. She was clearly exhausted, tired of herself, and tired of the heat. Deep down, the ginger knew his big sister was right. To him, directly saying things sometimes felt like the end of the world... like a huge mountain he couldn't physically climb.
"You don't gotta do that..." Akito mumbled, leaning down to grab the bag beside him, holding it out to Ena, "Here, we got this for you... cuz ya missed out." The younger boy pushed the bag closer to Ena, gesturing for her to take it already.
Whatever annoyance plagued the brunettes face was gone, she slowly took the bag from Akito's hand. What had Toya, Akito, AND her own girlfriend seen that was so good they got it for her?
Inside was a pretty off-white jirai-kei style blouse. The sleeves were puffy with various shades of light pink lace lining the ends, pearls intricately sewn on at the tips of the sleeves. The front was covered by a large light pink bow, miscellaneous white gems sewn on. There was so much lace, it was gorgeous..
It was short sleeved.
"It's cute... not my usual thing, but cute.." Ena smiled, a smile that didn't reach her eyes, as she held it against her chest.
Akito looked away, "I'm glad you think its cute.. I- we figured it'd be good cuz when you go out, it'll keep you cool.."
Ena looked into her younger brothers eyes curiously, "You're just assuming I'll go out in this weather..? Hell no, thanks though." She knew Akito was tryna get her out the house.. or something like that.. it wouldn't work, she couldn't show-
"Akiyama picked it out." The ginger started, "For- for your date tomorrow. She wanted to colour coordinate or something.."
The brunette backs away slightly, not in fear, just preparing to shut Akito out, "You know I can't go-"
Much to her dismay, Akito steps forward too and closes the door, probably to prevent their dad and.. Yori.. from overhearing.
He looks into her eyes, "Ena.. you must be sick of staying indoors- I know you are.." briefly, the ginger looks down to the lightish-brown wooden floor, "Please.. I know I've said this a million times before, but the scars are a part of you. They mark a struggle in your past.. and that you're alive and thriving, somewhat."
The girl stares at him, having heard this countless times, "That doesn't matter. People judge." She says stubbornly.
"Fuck what people think! If they judge, it just proves their immaturity.. just give it a try, okay? For Akiyama.."
Silence.
"I believe in you, sis."
There was a long, awkward silence. Long enough for Ena to think about what Akito had said.
"Is it really okay?" The girl asks, not even realising she had said that out loud.. to her own goddamn brother. He didn't need this burden-
The ginger gives a confident nod and smiles at her, wait-
Ena processes the boys words as he exits the room, "Did you just call me sis!?" She shouts down the hall.
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Ena opened her front door, greeted by the sight of Mizuki holding two ice creams, one was half eaten, and the other was slowly melting.
"Hey, lemme grab that." Ena walks up to Mizuki, taking the ice cream and trying to lick the drips, Mizuki was giving her a teasing look.
"Hey, what's that face for?!"
"Nothing Ena, you just look gorgeous, licking up the melted ice cream.. like a dog." The pink- haired girl laughs, then the others face goes red, causing Mizuki to laugh even harder... eventually reaching out to clutch Enas uncovered arm.
That moment, Ena froze, half out of fear.. half out of.. some sorta combination of happiness and realisation? The brunette was touched, actual skin to skin touch on her arm.. from her girlfriend who probably didn't even realise how impactful this moment was for her.
Mizuki didn't hesitate because of them, Mizuki had seen them. Heck, now Mizuki had felt the scars that lay on Enas skin.. but she didn't care.. she didn't judge.
Maybe Akito was right.. Ena felt better now, better than she had for a long time.
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The taller girl kisses Ena on the cheek and waves goodbye, night was approaching rapidly, an orange glow laid the street. She enters her home...
"Ah, Ena." Her new stepmother chimes then looks at the young girl, properly, "You're letting those.. things... show?" The old woman's face scrunches up slightly.