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(⠀ ꣑୧. . Mae's heart thumps loudly throughout the empty streets. The stressful encounter runs amok through her tired brain. And of course, the nameless guy who saved her from the brutes. The tall boy covered in tattoos, who had offered her a helping hand. It's quite obvious that she's infatuated with the boy, but alas, she has to push it to the back of her mind as she has arrived home.
Unlocking the door, she is immediately bombarded with questions.
"What took you so long?"
"Where have you been?"
"Do you know what time it is?"
"Why hello, brothers, I'm perfectly fine, thanks for asking," Mae greets the tense crowd of siblings with a soft smile. Her attempt to lighten the mood falls flat as her siblings continue to eye her, waiting for more than a snarky response.
"Where were you, Mae?" Kaito demands looming over his shorter sister as he sternly taps his foot. "It's late!"
"Yeah, you're never this late!" Kiyoshi chimes in, crossing his slim arms.
"We called, you didn't answer," Daiki mutters as his arms drape over the couch, staring at her with his signature older-brother look of his. "You okay?"
Mae gasps, "I didn't know you called! Dai, I'm sorry. I was going to be home quicker, but I ran into some jerks, but someone helped me out."
Daiki's jaw tightens, and suddenly, his relaxed demeanor shifts. "Jerks? What kind of jerks?"
"Wait, what?!" Kaito straightens up, his brows knitting together. "You mean like some creepy guys?"
Kiyoshi's expression darkens. "Did they touch you?"
"No! No, nothing like that," Mae says quickly, raising her hands, hoping to rest their worries. "It was a group of girls and guys. They were just being aggressive, but someone stepped in before anything happened."
There's a pause. All three boys stare with matching expressions and rising concern.
"Who?" They all question.
Mae shifts under their collective stares, attempting to fight off the rising blush just thinking of the kind boy. "Just some guy. He helped me out, that's all."
"Some guy?" Kaito repeats, eyes narrowing. "Mae, that doesn't make this any better."
"Was he old?" Kiyoshi asks suspiciously.
Mae blinks at the silly question. "What? No! He wasn't old!" She stops herself, suddenly very aware of how warm her face feels. "Never mind. That's not the point."
"It is the point," Daiki interjects, his voice firm. "Who is he? What did he look like?"
"Yeah, where does he live? Does he have a criminal record?" Kaito squints toward Mae.
Mae's jaw drops, "What? I-I don't even know him! All he did was save me, and I thanked him and left."
"I hope he didn't make you do anything in exchange for that help," Kiyoshi mutters under his breath.
"Okay, now you're being ridiculous. I would've called you!" Mae groans as the usual interrogation has dragged on far too long.
"We care about you!" Kaito bursts out.
"Yeah!" Kiyoshi crosses his arms. "What if something did happen? What if this guy wasn't actually trying to help? What if he wanted you for himself?"
Daiki pushes himself off the plush sofa, joining his siblings. He reaches down gently, ruffling Mae's hair, causing her to jerk from the sudden touch. "We're not trying to be annoying, okay?" He sighs, his voice softer now. "You're the youngest. It's literally our job to look out for you."
Mae huffs with a growing pout before swatting his hand away. "I know that. But I can take care of myself."
Daiki raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "You say that, but you also just admitted some guy had to step in and help you."
"...Okay, fair point. But before we get off track again, I've got you guys' snacks that you asked for!" She presents the plastic bag, hoping to get the three off her back about the cute, mystery guy.
Satisfied, Daiki steps back and lets the excited Kiyoshi snatch the bag, ready to eat.
Kaito, ever the opportunist, immediately snatches his snacks from the plastic bag. "I guess this makes up for you being late."
Kiyoshi hums as he digs through the bag, pulling out a pack of chips. "You barely dodged trouble, little sis."
"Trouble? How was that my fault!?"
The back-and-forth momentarily lightens the air, but Daiki's gaze lingers on Mae for a moment longer. His expression softens before he clears his throat, adjusting the mood back to his usual, serious tone. "Anyway, I'm heading out." He grabs his jacket off the armrest of the couch. "I've got to go check on the kid. My girl's waiting for me."
Mae's eyes brighten slightly as she looks at him. "Everything good with them?"
"Yeah," Daiki nods, adjusting the collar of his jacket. "Just checking in on them before I hit the sack. Little one's been a handful." He flashes her a tired grin. "But it's worth it, I'll be back after work tomorrow, y'all better make it to that damn school."
"We will, don't worry. Be safe, give the baby a kiss for me," Mae says, giving her brother a quick squeeze before he drifts toward the door.
Daiki smiles, the older brother in him taking over once again. "Always do, kid. Always do." He heads for the door, calling out, "Night, guys."
The door clicks shut behind him, and the house feels quieter. Mae glances at the twins, who are already trading snacks and digging into her snacks. The night's chaos suddenly feels distant, and Mae's smile grows a little wider.
"Mae," Kiyoshi drags her name cutely like.
"Yes," she mocks his tone while swaying her bob.
"You wanna pick our outfits out for tomorrow?" Kiyoshi asks before popping a gummy in his mouth.
"Oh yes! And stop eating my snacks," she whines, snatching the plastic package from his greedy hands.
"Alright, c'mon, I just got some new pants I want you to style," his arm rests atop her head as they walk through the small hallway.
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