Saturday, June 4th

(Y/n) breathed in the fresh, thermal air of her work environment, waiting until the bus had left the stop in order for her to continue in transitioning towards the house. She gazed through the foliage and trees as the sun caressed her skin, sending pleasant and relaxing tingles throughout. After a good night sleep, her energy seemed rejuvenated and she felt solace after preplanning all her duties of the day, selectively calculating the time and activity that would follow one after another, permitting her to finish the daily cleaning with plenty of time left over for her to leave early.

'Ah, it's such a nice day.' She happily thought, surprising herself at the cheerful mood she seemed to be from the moment she had awoken; even taking her siblings aback by the optimistic sparks of joy she exhibited before leaving. (Y/n) felt much more at peace as her working environment became like a leisurely duty; with welcoming coworkers, a quirky boss and interesting young residents. Though, she knew her mood might ripple slightly once the labour part of the transaction would begin. Especially with some of the more reckless characters in the household.

Stepping past the gates of the compound, the female spotted a figure sitting on the stairs while his body leaned against the wall. Closely approaching the individual, she noticed his slow and consistent breathing and once she was fully near his area, she realised the slumbering state he had reached.

Seok unsuspectingly napped in the light, remaining oblivious to the female's presence, while his pet lurked a few paces away from the house, suspiciously watching the girl's approach from the grass. (Y/n) had to take a moment to register the sight, wondering whether to bother him into awakening. She concluded the position he was taking to be uncomfortable and lightly shook the boy until he began stirring.

"What are you doing out here? You usually take this to your bed." She commented on his unorthodox choice of an area after he opened his bright blue eyes to look up at the disturbance. He lightly grunted as he stretched before receiving a confused repeat from the girl. "Why are you here?" She asked, looking around the environment in wonder over what had the boy's attention captured enough for him to remain.

"I was waiting for you." (Y/n) stared at him in surprise over the trouble he had gone through in order to catch her.

"Me? Really? Why, did you need anything?" She questioned in a befuddled tone, earning a shake of the head from the male. "Then why were you waiting for me?"

The boy stood up from his laying position to regard the female with a neutralistic expression that would come to a contrast with his unusual reasoning. "I want to be around you while you clean." The female slightly gaped at him, under doubt she had even heard him correctly.

"What? Uhm..." She quietly hummed, pondering over his sudden reasoning behind the offer.

"If it's a problem then I'll leave." The male informed her, still holding the worker at slight disbelief.

"Oh no, I don't think it should be a problem. It's just that I didn't expect this. Where did this suddenly come from?" The boy glanced to the ground as he collected his original thoughts over the decision.

"I'm comfortable around you." He simply stated, blatant with his prominent honesty. The girl thoughtfully assessed him and considered the request to be harmless and kind. She smiled at his softening guard in regards to her company before considering his application.

"Oh thank you. Well...ok, you can join me. Though, I don't know how much fun you'll have while I clean. So don't feel like you're obligated to stay." Seok nodded his understanding before following the girl inside the house. "So, how's your morning been so far?"

The boy seemed deep in contemplation, searching through his mind in a rush to gather an answer that would suit the question. "I had a dream." He told her, unnerved whether the response was suitable enough for her interest.

"Really? What was it about?" Seok exhaled in relief at her hooked intrigue.

The boy proceeded to recall the events of his lucid subconscious as he saw black feathers and grass in his mind to associate the scenery. "It was about a crow and a grasshopper. The grasshopper seemed to be annoying the crow in some way which made the crow angry. The crow started trying to catch the grasshopper but it kept hopping out of reach until the crow gave up and flew away." As the boy ended his remembrance he looked towards the female for a second-hand assessment. "What do you think it meant?"

The girl wondered over the scenario he described, searching for a hidden clue. "I'm not quite sure." She eventually responded, making the boy dismiss the topic. As they made their way through the central passage, the pair were accompanied by a third individual. 'Speaking of a crow...' The girl amusingly commented in her mind before regarding the dark-haired newcomer. "Morning Padraig."

The male turned towards the two where he frowned once he set his eyes on the boy. Padraig swiftly turned his head in dismissal of his existence while the girl exhaustedly stared at his behaviour before rolling her eyes.

"Does he have something against you? He doesn't seem too friendly with you." She looked towards the departing male in question over his bitter attitude.

"He doesn't like how I put away his statues." The girl grumbled to herself over the whole incident that had the sculptor packing, before turning back towards the stairs.

"I'll be going into the library. Do you still want to come?" The boy nodded his agreement, tracking the girl's path as they started making their way through the corridor. During the walk, the female noticed a prominent emptiness along the journey as the statues that used to rim around the ground and greet her with their dead, stone eyes were no longer in their places. The loneliness that came with their absence was an unexpected sensation that ran through the girl, only relieving her once she spotted the smallest sight of a sculpture. "Gilbert is still there."

She smiled towards the weeping, stone goblin as it still sat in its place, parallel to its creator's room. "He'll be gone by tomorrow. It's still being cleared up." The female gave a saddened frown as they passed by the creature, knowing it would probably be the last few times she'll see it.

As the pair came in front of the library doors, the girl opened up the compact and dimly lit space to allow themselves in. "Alright, it just needs a bit of sweeping; and the windows need to get cleaned up and maybe arrange a few of the books." She noted each necessity for her presence and began working with her broom around the floor, collecting all the dust and debris that scattered around.

Seok took a seat on one of the tables, watching as the girl worked with her equipment to freshen up the area. The male kept bouncing his foot in quick bobs and jittering with his fingers in habitual nervousness. He remained silent as his words began clogging up his throat and melting at his tongue, unsure what would bring up the atmosphere. As his foot tapping became more vigorous and the fidgeting began intensifying, he began feeling the world slipping away from him as the weight of his presence began shifting from reality.

The male turned his sights towards the girl who was staring at him with concern. "For someone who isn't energetic and likes sleeping, you sure are restless when you're relaxing." The boy noticed the sporadic movements of his feet and hands, forcing them to a stop.

"I didn't realise..." He muttered, looking around to distract his mind off the subject. (Y/n) watching him for a little while as she thoroughly finished off sweeping the ground and collecting the trash in a bag.

"Do you want to hear another story?" At the sound of her suggestion, the male perked up his attention as he intently watched her for the promised fable. The female smiled at his uncharacteristic eagerness as she searched through her mind for a short story. "Have you heard about the little match seller?" The male was considerate over her question, thinking back to any indication of the unrecognisable story before shaking his head. The female took a cloth in her hand before spraying cleaning solution on the windows as she began her telling. "It's a story about a little girl, centuries ago, trying to find the light in her dark world.

A little girl was out in the cold on New Year's Eve, where she walked around, half frozen with bare feet on the snow, trying to gather at least the smallest penny from selling clumps of matchsticks. Her body was becoming stiff and as cold as ice, but she didn't want to return home with empty pockets.

So she huddled against two buildings for warmth as she curled up, trying to ignore the cold. In desperation, she lit a single match that burned so bright that, in front of her eyes, an iron stove appeared which would bring her warmth and comfort. As the light glowed on the stove, she reached out her little, frozen hands only for the image to disappear the moment the match burned out." (Y/n) wiped down the windows that were smudged in dirt, bringing in fresh streams of sun rays to enter the library as she continued speaking to the interested male. "Then, the poor child lit another match, desperate to bring back the illusion.

This time, the walls of the houses around her became transparent, where she could look inside the buildings to see tables stacked with fresh food for families to eat. As she reached out once again, and the match stopped glowing, leaving her touching the cold walls of the houses.

She lit a third match which made her see a beautiful, radiant Christmas tree, and when she leaned in to touch the warm light of the tree, it disappeared. Looking up at the sky, she saw a falling star, which she knew, symbolised someone's death, as her dear grandmother used to tell her.

Then, when she lit the fourth match, the girl stood face to face with her long deceased grandparent whose face glowed with a smile. She knew that the moment the match would go out, she'd lose the image of the person that loved her the most. So she lit all the matches she had left and desperately cried for her grandmother to take her, and hold her, knowing she would go away once the matches burned out.

Her grandmother took her in her arms, embracing her and they both flew to a place where pain, hunger, cold or fear did not exist.

In the morning of the new year, the little girl lay limp and pale against the cold walls as the rising sun shone upon her lifeless smile." As the girl ended her sweeping motions with her cloth, inspecting the polished glass of the window, she glanced back towards the boy as he sat in his spot, looking at the female with a solemn gaze. The girl slightly winced at the entire tone of her tale as she tried to lift the mood back with a small grin. "Sorry, was that a bit too depressing? Don't get upset, it's a fictional story after all."

The male lay stiff in his seat, looking down at the table as questions flashed in front of his eyes, forcing him to wonder. "Was she relieved?" (Y/n) confusingly glanced at him, tilting her head to indicate for further insight as she simultaneously began placing books on their respective shelves. Seok held his eyesight directed away from her own gaze before expanding on his inquiry. "When she passed away: was she relieved?" The female thoughtfully ponders over the question before slightly shrugging her shoulders.

"I guess so. The ending was generally good for her despite being sad." The boy fell silent at her words and watched as the girl began stacking the last few loose book in their places, concentrating on her task at that moment.

"Can you..." (Y/n) looked over towards the quiet male at the sound of his nervous whisper, seeing him struggle to annunciate his request. "Can you show me how to fold a paper crane?" The female blinked a few times in confusion before humming her uncertainty, approaching the sitting boy.

"Yeah, sure. Why do you want to learn?" She questioned, taking a random piece of blank paper and beginning to remind herself of the intricate foldings and shapes that she was to create with her precise fingers. As the boy watched, he took a moment to revise his reply.

"It looks interesting." He simply stated, watching carefully the girl's instructions as she folded the last piece to create a gliding bird shape. She placed in on the table for the boy to assess as he memorised the shape and steps, immediately beginning to fold his own rendition of the bird.

The female took her cleaning supplies with the intention of leaving the finished area. "Seok, I'm going to move on to the next task. Do you want to stay here and concentrate on the origami?" Seok looked up at her with contemplating features, weighing out his decision before concluding it by focusing back on his activity.

"Ok..." He answered, allowing the female to part with him without any sense of guilt.

As the girl exited the library, closing the door to grant the male his privacy, she stepped out to be greeted by another's company a few paces away. "Oh, Eban! Hey, good morning." She called out to the boy who rubbed his eyes and pinched the top area of the bridge of his nose in an irritated fashion before noticing the female.

The boy immediately smiled at her visit and reciprocated her greeting. "Good morning, how has your work been going?" He questioned her when she stopped herself in front of him.

"It's been ok, but I've really been letting myself go." She slightly complained, unsatisfied with her general procrastination on the job. Eban smirked at her in a teasing manner before knowingly mocking her.

"Ah yes, that tends to happen when you get distracted." The female slightly retracted her body language in embarrassment.

"I mean, it's not like it's a habit but..." She bitterly muttered, trying to excuse her actions only for the male to poke at her shame.

"No, of course it's not a habit. Let's call it a: ritual tendency." He mused out, earning a debasing frown from the girl as she looked down in guilt with an amused and shamed smile.

"Don't call it that..." She whined, trying to subconsciously deny the label. The girl stared at the floor in embarrassment right before she felt a hand propping up her chin, gently directing her head upward to face the male's gaze.

"Don't look down. I can't see your pretty eyes if you're not looking at me." Eban informed the girl in a delicate tone, holding a playful and soothing coating to his voice as he secured her eye contact.

(Y/n) stared at him for a moment, unmoving from the unexpected response before scoffing. "Do you take advice on your jokes from Lilito?" She taunted, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"If I'm going to ask Lilito for any kind of advice, it would be for suggestions on alternatives to contraception." Eban jokingly waved her off, earning a humoured laugh from the girl.

"Just look through his phone, I'm sure he has a list somewhere in there." She returned the banter, getting a light giggle from the boy.

"I'm not going near that thing. In my perspective, you can learn a lot about a person just by going through their phone and I'm not quite ready to face that psychological journey. I'd rather him remain the harmless lady lover as I see him now." Eban teasingly acted out, getting the girl to snort with held in amusement.

"Ah, didn't know you can be this mean Eban. Do you have a secretly condescending side?" She jested, raising her eyebrow at the accused boy.

"I'm kidding of course. I'm just kidding. I'd actually love to know how Lilito avoids paying all that child support." He mockingly assured the girl, earning a light punch on his shoulder from the female.

"Eban!" She burst out in a mixture of shock, reproach and laughter. "Haha, I feel like we're not giving the guy a break. He's not that bad." She chuckled, trying to balance her guilt and amusement.

"I'm joking, I'm joking." Eban reassured her, patting her on the shoulder to soothe her conscience. "As much as we make fun of it, Lilito is actually a pretty responsible guy. And unlike Akai, he doesn't bother me that much and can hold pretty decent conversations. This is just harmless housemate banter." He rightfully excused, grinning to display his playful attitude.

(Y/n) laughed at his innocent comedy before her vision spotted a figure standing a few feet away, out of the corner of her eye. "Gennai? Hey, there." She called out to the boy who seemed to be taking refuge behind the wall of the turn.

The boy froze over at his discovery, glancing towards his brother to see a deep, disapproving frown lining his features as his emerald eyes locked with his sibling's. Gennai felt an immediate chain wrapping around his mind as the blond's gaze produced shackles and manacles that held him back from approaching the pair. Feeling the instinctual sense of fleet, he quickly bolted away from the area, under the subliminal guidance of his relative.

"Huh?! Gennai, what's wrong-?" (Y/n) attempted to jog towards the escaping male, being held back by the company she was still in.

"It's ok, he's just been a bit upset. He needs some time alone." The girl gave him a concerned gaze before looking back towards the corner that once held the younger male.

"What's wrong? Is it something serious?" She voiced out her perturbation for the male's state, hoping to comfort the distraught boy.

Eban comfortingly shook his head with a disregarding simper before letting the girl go. "Don't worry about it. He'll be fine." His attentive and sincere smile brought the female some relief.

"Well, ok. I need to go anyway, I still have work to do."

"Let me take you to the terrace on the third floor then." The female scrunched up her features in slight bafflement to the purpose behind his offer. "That's what's marked as 'the roof' on your schedule. You didn't manage to finish it yesterday, right?" The girl stared at him in even further confusion at his knowledge of her tasks.

"How did you know about my duties?" She questioned before the male grabbed her by the hand and sped up his movements to tug the girl along. As the pair passed through to the other side of the building, the boy indicated towards a dark staircase that led further up towards the higher ground. "Looks kinda scary." (Y/n) commented, assessing the darkness that engulfed every step while the light at the very end seemed like a small a dot of a glimmer.

Eban began climbing up the stairs before he glanced at the unsure girl. "If you get frightened at any point, you can hold my hand." He informed her, causing her to pout at his mocking comment.

The girl quickly began scaling each step with a determined energy, trying to push back the paranoias that were created by the shadows in her vision. Her speed became gradually faster as her unnerved senses spikes her to end the journey where she would emerge into the light of the day. As the girl approached the very top and last step, her vision became obscured in whiteness as her eyes were blinded by the strong sun.

As she blindly entered the environment, her optics adjusted to see the well lit and warm terrace that she was intended to clean. However, as she looked around at the polished and mopped tiles of the floor; and impeccable, dark chairs placed upside down with their seats resting on the edge of the tables; and neatly situated pots and plants decorating the edges of the wall and small tables, she didn't see a reasoning behind her labour.

"Wow, everything here seems clean already." She exclaimed, looking at the floor that held not a speck of leaf or dust and the patio furniture and storage items that were placed in their corresponding foregrounds and backgrounds.

Eban smiled at her surprised and satisfied state. "Do you think so? Is it properly cleaned?" He questioned, allowing the girl to awe at the luxury items that she never had the privilege of nearing.

"Yeah, everything here is really cosy and comfortable. I wonder what I had to clean here? And why it's already been looked over." Eban knowingly smiled at her grateful wonder.

The flair in her eyes was all the gratitude and delectation he needed for his troubles in finishing the work off for the girl without a soul's suspicion behind the act. "I don't know. Maybe luck is smiling down on you." The female optimistically smirked as she took in a deep, relaxing breath.

"The only person who's always smiling seems to be you Eban. You don't ever seem upset by things." She chirped over his general, positive outlook before approaching him where he leaned against the wall of the terrace.

"Is that so?" He thoughtfully asked, more to himself than his company. As the conversation between them began settling, he proceeded to take out his camera and wonderingly look at it. "Hey, since you have a bit of time to spare, mind if I ask you a few silly questions?" He tactfully fiddled with the object in his hands while the girl looked over at him to grant her full attention.

"Shoot." She permitted him his chance and he curiously assessed her.

Eban slightly displayed his hesitance to the inquiry, but proceeded with an assured grin. "This might sound unusual and a bit unorthodox, but I would really like to hear your answer to this." He looked down at his camera with a considerate smile before glancing towards the listening girl, confident in her response regardless. "If you were to take a picture of the same thing for the rest of your life; what would it be?"

(Y/n) raised her entire face into surprise as she hesitated on the question she was not expecting. "That is an unusual question." She uncertainly responded, pondering over the meaning behind the inquisition. "If it were to be one thing and I have to stick to taking pictures of only that one thing:" She contemplatively repeated to herself as she continued droning on the response until her mind settled on a single form. "It would have to be the sky."

"The sky?" Eban curiously smiled.

(Y/n) deemed her response as final with a nod. She looked up towards the atmosphere above them as white cloud began blocking out the sun to cast a shadow over the area. "The sky is always changing. In colour. In shape. With its clouds and then stars. I think I'll have plenty of fun just taking images of how pretty it can be." She dreamily gazed up, acting out the restricted scenario as an advantage, losing herself completely in the idea.

The blond watched her with delight and intrigue, smiling to himself at her gratifying response. "I see. That's a very beautiful ideal, (Y/n)."

"It's not the ideal that's beautiful. It's just what's given so freely to me." She happily told herself, feeling the privilege of having the smallest commodities that can be given to anyone.

"I love how you think." The female looked over at the boy who seemed entranced with her voice, indulging himself in each syllable that she gave and memorising every word that followed one after another. "You know, I had a dream last night." Switching the subject, he brought on another topic that he knew would bring on an interesting reaction. "We were on the terrace just like we are right now, and I was asking you a few more casual questions and you gave answers to them. Mind if I compare the answers from my dream with your real ones." The female seemed interested in the new subject, leaving her in enthusiastic speculation.

"Oh, sure. This should be fun." She confidently said, wondering how close the male can come to her genuine responses.

Eban amusingly smirked as he began looking out over the house and proceeded to recall the dialogue in his sleep. "Well, I asked you what food you disliked." He informed, giving the female a chance to settle on her own decision before responding with her dream version's reply. "And you said eggs." (Y/n) raised her eyebrow in thoughtfulness before nodding her head and asking him to proceed. "Then I asked you what your favourite food was and you said 'as long as it doesn't taste gross', haha." The male chuckled along with the girl who snickered at her own reaction.

"Sounds like something I'd say. But so far, I'm not yet impressed." She informed him, leaning against the wall, awaiting for something to truly spark her disbelief.

The boy took her challenging gaze and decided to push up the level. "Alright, then let's try the more personal ones." This caught the girl's interest, getting her to lean closer to hear his rejoinders, doubtful she would be swept by reality. "Hmm...I asked what your most treasured memory was and you said going to the beach with your family for the first time." The girl's poised smirk twitched out of place at the response he gave, mirroring the answer in her own head. "Then I asked if you had ever suffered any serious injuries in your life and you said that you had your arm and leg broken." The girl's eyebrows arched upwards at the duplicated reply, her lips pulled in a straight line across. Eban thoughtfully recollected the events of his slumber and the responses given, detailing in the small additions that would then create further plausibility. "In my dream, I believe you said it was your right arm and left leg." (Y/n)'s mouth hung slightly open as her body became clenched in suspense, setting all her senses on high alert for a continuation. "Then, I asked if you had any pets and you said that you used to have a family dog that sadly got killed by a car." The girl's shoulders stiffened, gaping at the male with wordless reactions while Eban took the silencing moment to recall a certain aspect in his illusion. "If I remember correctly, I believe you said his name was..." The female inched closer, unbelieving at the omnipotence in his insight as the final bit of information would drive her disbelief over the edge. Eban hesitated on the information that started to blur in his memories before eventually settling on the recollection. "Skittle."

The female fell silent. Her astounded eyes staring at him. Analysing him. Calculating him. Trying to find the source of his knowledge behind his informative smile. "That's insane...oh my God, how did you just do that?!" She exclaimed in an exasperated exhale while itching closer to look at the stoic boy. "Eban everything you said was right! How did you know all this?!" She questioned in amazement, feeling completely exposed to the boy in front of her, retracting her body inwards at the reveal of her pieces of the past. "This is scary, and you said that you heard all this in a dream?" The blond nodded and chuckled at her child-like fascination. "That's one intuitive dream, I can't believe it." She breathlessly told him, looking up at him like some sort of powerful being, filled with wisdom outside her comprehension.

"Let's go back, I don't want to be a distraction from you doing your job." He suddenly stated, starting up his way towards the stairs while the female stared after him with incredulity.

"What?! I can't just drop this, what you did was amazing! Is there anything else in the dream?" She ran up to him, trying to bring out another detail or information from the unresponsive boy that would blow her mind. "Eban, don't just act like you can't hear me!" The blond smirked as she continued pleading and asking him for another display of his intelligence.

(Y/n) sulked behind the male, exhausted and burnt out after fully venting on him to promote the extent of his knowledge. As the two walked across the corridor in silence, the female suddenly ran ahead of the male where she turned around to glare at him. "Fine, if you're not going to elaborate on what you just told me, then I won't speak to you for the rest of the day." She angrily informed him, threatening to run off as her body was prepared for a sprint

Eban simply grinned at her ultimatum and detracted the severity of her statement. "How immature of you." He chuckled, making the female frown before running down the corridor, leaving the male to look on alone. As the boy was left undisturbed, his smile slowly dissolved as he reminded himself of who she'll meet in her way. 'It seems like it's time already...' He coveted his deeply layered intents back as he slowly progressed towards his room, preparing for the sight that would follow.

(Y/n) stopped herself a few feet away from the library to breathe from the sudden burst of exercise she underwent. After lightly panting a number of times to stabilise her breathing, her auditory range caught indicative sounds coming from the room just a few paces away from her.

Looking towards the two brothers' quarters, she caught the noises of items crunching and being shuffled around in a swift fashion. As the girl approached the questionable noises, they became more prominent with each step, as the friction of objects and clanks and hinges working to create the disturbing symphony, she remained baffled at what lay beyond the door.

As she pushed the entrance barrier open, making it heavily glide against obstructing items, her eyes became gaping holes as she disbelievingly stared at the young boy's behaviour. Gennai had laid out a medical stretcher amongst the piles of his belongings, with a large heart monitor beeping beside it to indicate his heart rate, while he sternly focused on examining a syringe with a clear liquid inside. "Gennai, what's are you doing...?" (Y/n) questioned, prohibiting herself from entering the unstable boy's environment.

As Gennai's sights placed their attention on her unexpected presence, the heart monitor began frantically indicating his quickening pulse. Gennai desperately warned for the female to keep her distance as he jumped onto the stretcher in quick haste. "No! You stay away! I need to do a heart transplant and I can't have you distracting me! Now go away, I need to figure out how I'll put myself under anaesthesia while still remaining conscious enough to perform the surgery." He pondered over the injection in his hand as he tried to weigh out formulas and amounts in his mind that would bring about the correct outcome.

The boy found his hand getting grabbed as he struggled for control over the syringe. "Are you trying to kill yourself?! Stop acting like an idiot!" (Y/n) fought against his desperate grip as the two began sparring for dominance of power. As the female manoeuvred herself closer, she wrapped her hands around both his arms and body, locking his limbs to his sides as he was left kicking. "Calm down! You'll hurt yourself!" She shouted at him, trying to set her authority over his actions.

As Gennai slowly registered the girl's close proximity to his body, he immediately began contesting and thrashing against her hold in a panic as he felt his body uncontrollably stiffening. "No! Don't be too close! Please!" He shouted out, feelings his heart palpitate and his breaths become more uneven, unable to explain the reaction his body was having.

Amidst their clashing reactions, the cables of the raging heart monitor were knocked off, disconnecting the male from the machine, causing it to give a single frequency beep that was to forever last. Gennai looked over at the machine and the straight, green line across the monitor as he assumed the worst.

"I'm dead!" He cried, completely ceasing to struggle as he began whining and complaining. "My heart exploded. I'm dead. I'm never going to be with big brother again." The girl watched in confusion as the boy's form became limp with defeat, allowing him to slide out of her hold. As he lay on the floor, being accompanied by the sounds of he high-pitched, squeal of the medical machine.

(Y/n) uncertainly watched his distraught state, switching off the distracting noises. She approached the docile boy who sadly mumbled to himself on the floor, huddling in as he curled his arms around his knees. Crouching down beside the disturbed boy, the female regarded him in a stern but careful voice. "You're not dead Gennai. Calm down." The boy gradually settled his squirming disturbances as he simmered down into a melancholic state.

He shrivelled in on himself, his heart plunging to his gut where it unnerved his entire body. The male's image seemed that of a lost and forgotten child that is not only foreign to his surroundings but himself as well. "I'm horrible...I can't do this. I'm ungrateful. I'm not meant to have big brother. He'll never forgive me." He whispered in quivering syllables, squeezing further in to form a shell around his form.

(Y/n) carefully assessed his disgruntled state, keep her distance so as to not alarm the already unbalanced male's psyche. She questioned him in a gentle and concerned tone that she would usually create whenever questioning her upset siblings or friends. "Why do you say that? What's wrong?" Gennai remained unmoving, keeping his head pressed into his knees, refusing to look at the environment around him as he trapped himself in the darkness of his own mind.

"I'm replacing him. I'm replacing big brother. I don't want to replace him." Despite uttering his confession he remained under denial in his own thoughts, completely disconnecting his words from his mind as he inwardly tried to prove to himself otherwise. Despite any excuse he could give himself, there was a loneliness that sedated him into submission.

(Y/n) sadly watched the struggling male as he seemed to be internally arguing with himself, speaking comforts only for his self-doubt to knock him down multiple levels in his mindset. "Why do you say that? What's happening-?" As she reached out to place her hand on his shoulder for a semblance of comfort, an attempt to bring him into reality and outside his mental barricade, the boy flinched away in alarm.

"Don't touch me!" He shouted in a loud, anxious and dreaded voice of trepidation, fearing for any gesture that would trigger his insecurities once more. "I don't want you to touch me! It makes it even worse! I don't like it!" Gennai seethed at her, inhaling breaths with difficulty before exhaling in wavering expels.

The female took a moment to observe him. Thoughtfully deciding to break down the layers of his prominent meltdown in order to address the deeper lying issues. She softly regarded him in a consolidating fashion, attempting to lead him into grasping his emotions through admittance. "Are you upset, Gennai?" The boy's glossed over eyes strayed around his room where he tried to gaze away from the female's analytical sights.

"I'm sad...I'm a disappointment, I don't deserve big brother." Loathing his emotions, the boy closed off the rest of his surroundings where he allowed himself to blur into scenes that played out in his head while words echoed around him in the voice that he looked up to. As he felt his hopes slipping and combining with the prospect of his ostracisation from his relative, he felt his body supported, stopped from breaking into pieces and crumbling as a pair of hands held him together as portions of his being began cracking. "What are you doing?!" He stammered, looking at the girl who's had restrictively embraced him, sharing her sympathy with the hurt boy.

(Y/n) gave him an embarrassed smile at her habitual reflexive response to the sight of sadness. "Whenever my sister or brother get upset, it always seems to comfort them when I give them a hug. It's the same for me and other people as well. Doesn't that work on you?" She questioned him, hoping to find any sort of reference to start building up crutches for the male's wobbling emotions. Gennai frowned at her attempts before stubbornly dismissing her.

"Only big brother can do it right. You won't help with anything. You can't change what I'm feeling, no matter how much you try." The female continued watching as the boy sank into a sulking posture where he anguished over his own failure in self control. "I can't do it...you'll make it worse, you can't fix it. It's my fault...I was careless."

Silently regarding him, the girl knew better than to vainly push on in the obdurate state he was in and search for more answers, and simply smiled her understanding as she held his words at the weight he intended them to be. "Maybe I won't be able to help you. Maybe I really don't have the answers. Maybe I'm not able to fix the problem." As the girl admitted to her possible uselessness over the subject, she attentively regarded him with a caring tone that would bring solace to a misguided child. "But, what I am able to do is give you hugs, and be an extra shoulder to cry on, and another pair of ears to listen to you. And I'm pretty good at doing that from experience. And when you're comfortable enough with my hugs then maybe you'll be able to finally share what's been bothering you." Gennai held his golden eyes locked with the female's to play witness to her gentle alleviation, and didn't find himself retracting as she teasingly petted his hair. "And I'll be here to understand you when you're ready."

"You will?" The boy inched closer to her with a hopeful expectancy, hoping his doubts would be unprecedented with her bright eyes.

"Of course, always." She reassured him with a confirming nod. "That's part of a friend's job, right?"

"A friend?" He questioned with breathless amazement, as though the word had never had crossed his path before.

"Yeah. I mean, I read a book to you and we went out together and both got to visit my favourite place. I consider that as quite a basis for a friendship." The female grinned at his astounded expression as his distinctive intrigue was returned in his overwhelmed eyes.

"Ah...?" He lightly exclaimed as his body was once again taken in to be comfortingly held in a compassionate embrace.

"How are you feeling now?" The female chuckled while the boy seemed less reluctant to push her away.

'My chest still hurst, but...' As he felt each strong pulse of his heart and the rushing of blood through his body, causing slight restlessness in his system, he seemed to embrace the reaction and viewed it as a positive sign. "I like it..." He shamefully mumbled into the girl's shoulder before being released and allowed to retract back. He gave her gratifying smile with which she returned with a gladsome smirk.

As the male's eyes strayed from the girl's, his blood settled in its rush as he was faced with the male observing them from the doorway. Eban held an unreadable expression, only amplifying his sibling's panic as he wasn't sure of how high his hopes or doubts should be balanced. And as the blond tracked back to depart from the area, Gennai immediately jumped to his feet, nearly stumbling through the mess and after his brother.

"Gennai?" (Y/n) questioned the boy's behaviour as he darted out of sight. The female stood up to look towards the heavy medical equipment as a frown lined her features. 'Why does he even have this...where do I even put it?' She asked herself, wondering how to disassemble the stretcher.

"Eban!" The younger boy rushed after his sibling, calling out to catch his leaving relative's attention as he was simply walking away. "Big brother wait!" Gennai took the blond by the hand; panting; frantic; his eyes wide with alarm at the prospect of a misunderstanding. "Big brother, please listen! I-I was- she came to me so I wasn't voluntarily-I was trying to push away but-but I-!"

"Gennai." The boy's frantic rambling was silenced by his brother's gentle and stern call, forcing him to stop the running the of his mouth and hold back the spilling words. "Now please take a breath. And explain yourself." Eban inquired with impatience and harshness in his voice as he watched the boy with a stoic expression.

Gennai swallowed down the build up of run on sentences at his tongue before uncertainly voicing out in intimidated wariness. "Eban...please can I be around her...?" He tightly squeezed his sibling's hand in desperation, hoping to display across the urgency and necessity behind his request. "She-she says she's my friend and is there for me...I'm not trying to replace you, Eban! You're the best! That's why you don't have to worry about her, she can just be my friend!" Attempting to reassure his brother's place in his heart, the male clung on to the boy, hoping for him to allow the smallest bit of leniency in their relationship. "I want her around big brother...please, you'll never be replaced. You'll always be number 1 no matter what...so..." He trailed off, feeling hopeless with his repetition over the same subject, ashamed to even mention the prospect to the older male.

Gennai held his gaze down, not wanting to make eye contact with his sibling as he could already feel his green eyes scrutinising over him. "It's ok Gennai. She can definitely be your friend." The male looked up to see the smiling face that brought a shine to his environment every time it appeared.

"Really?!" He excitedly asked, amazingly surprised and delighted at the reply. Eban nodded just as eagerly, petting the boy's head.

"Of course! Because I know very well," Eban locked his shady, joyful gaze with his brother's, capturing the younger male's stare in his assertive emerald hues, "that you would never even think about substituting me for anyone else." He spoke the statement under the intent of an ultimatum as he repeated and reminded the information already ingrained in the boy's mind. "Big brother comes first after all."

"Yes." He agreed sternly as he happily looked up at his smiling sibling.

"She can be both our friend, right?" Eban questioned his brother in an enthusiastic tone.

"Yes, of course!" Gennai responded in avid agreement, ardently nodding his head.

"She can be friend with me."

"Yeah!"

"She can be friends with you."

"Yeah!"

"And she can be friends with the others as well."

"Huh...?" All smiles stopped together. Gennai was left staring blankly at his older brother at the seeming nonsense he was referring to. "The others...? Why would she want to be friend with them?" He distastefully remarked, lowering his eyebrows in a baffled scowl. Eban looked at him with surprise towards his unawareness.

"What? You haven't noticed she's been hanging around with everyone else?" The boy's golden eyes narrowed, now glaring up at his brother, more so directing his demur towards the ideas in his information. "(Y/n) wants to make friends too, you know. She's becoming pretty close with everyone, it's so nice to see she's fitting in, despite being just a worker here." The blond commented, inferring on the female's flexibility around her surroundings and company.

"Why?" His question rang in a low, lost and defensive syllable. "She doesn't need them. Why would she hang out with them?"

Eban nervously smiled down at the irked young male before having to pet the boy's head to sooth his clear protest. "Well, that's not your decision to make, Gennai." Gennai looked ahead of him, focusing away from all the surroundings as condemning scenes and scenarios began playing out in his wondering mind. "Come on, don't be upset. When she's not busy with the others, she'll have time for you." The blond kindly reassured him.

"She doesn't need to be busy with them..." Gennai muttered back. "And she's having fun with them...?" He questioned, adding on information to his memory that would provide him with a final judgement.

"Yeah, she seems to be enjoying everyone's company. Her and Seok were folding paper cranes not too long ago, it looked really neat." Eban chuckled at the memory before frowning at his sibling's unusual quietness, inspecting him with concern. "Is there something bothering you?"

"I don't want her to enjoy others' companies. It distracts her from us." Eban looked at him with external surprise before soothingly smiling at him.

"Come on now." He passed by the boy in the direction of their room. "(Y/n) would never be more interested in someone else more than you." Eban looked back to see Gennai bolted to the spot, not even turning around in the intended direction his brother was heading towards. "Well, let's go. We need to help her sort out which of your stuff she'll have to throw away." No reaction.

'I don't like it.'

"Come on, she must be struggling with the stretcher." Eban called out to his brother who remained unresponsive, seeming to have locked himself up in his own world.

'I don't like it.'

"I'll go ahead then, she might need help disassembling it." The blond informed, seeing the boy's hesitance. As he walked a few paces onward, he glanced back to see his sibling still standing in his frozen stance of contemplation. A pleasured smirk displayed itself on Eban's features, remaining unseen by anyone else as he left the boy to dance in his own thought cycles.

'I don't like it.' He repeated, his fingers flexing inwards as tension built up in his body. 'This isn't right.' He thought through the laws he had put down for their interactions as every boundary that was mentally set was broken. 'She's with me and big brother. Where the hell do the others come in?' As he tried to piece together the rest of the household's population, there was no place they fit in inside his world. 'I don't like it.' Gennai felt his entire form clench up as all his hostility towards the idea spilt out, returning a more covetous instinct to his claim. 'They'll...take her away from me.'