"Because I'm cool and fun!" Aiki insisted with a bright grin, and Eiji snickered a bit as he started the game. "Pfft… sure you are, Ai. Keep your head in the game." He ruffled his twin's hair and turned his attention back to the screen while Aiki pouted.
Farah observed their banter with an almost motherly gaze, and when Eiji turned his attention back to the screen, Farah did too. She felt a pang of jealousy for one moment, and then it was gone. Aiki had been reunited with his brother, but she lost her Saul. A quick shake of her head forced her to focus on the game, at least for the time being, and enjoy it.
Aiki got focused again as well, intent on beating their brother at the game now. Eiji started the race and he and Aiki set off, taking the top two places pretty quickly. They seemed pretty close in skill, although Eiji was noticeably more strategic.
Farah quickly fell behind and cursed under her breath as she did so. After a lap, however, she began to work her way back into sixth place.
Aiki and Eiji were still swapping first and second place with each other, but by the end of the three laps, Aiki managed to narrowly snag first place. He cheered and Eiji groaned, setting down his controller.
Farah finished solidly in sixth place, and she was a bit excited. "God, I did it," she enthused, reading the scoreboard results.
"Hey, that's pretty good!" Aiki looked up at the scores, smiling brightly. "Way better than when we first started out, although you did have a pretty amazing teacher." He preened a bit, clearly pleased with himself.
Farah laughed. "Yes, I did. Although I must resign myself to watching the two of you. I'm not sure if I'd be able to perform so well again. Repetitive luck evades me."
"Alright, if that's what you want." Aiki smiled softly and Eiji started another game for the two of them to play. They seemed to enjoy it, and they were good enough at it to keep the top couple of spots most of the time.
Farah alternated her gaze from the fictitious cars on the screen to the twins. Her eyes softened as she watched their brotherly competitiveness, and she felt herself deeply missing her Alfea "found family."
Aiki and Eiji bantered while they raced each other, and although things seemed like they were returned to normal, Aiki still felt a twisting in their chest. The game was a nice distraction, but he still hadn't really gotten an opportunity to vent to his brother about his less-than-enjoyable experiences in Alfea. They just wanted to cling to him and cry into his shoulder for a while, but they couldn't bring themself to ruin the fun that the two of them were having now.
Farah, seeming to sense Aiki's feelings, gently touched their arm as they played to ease their emotions. She felt truly bad for him because of his experiences in the Otherworld. Once Rosalind was stopped or eliminated, maybe Farah could bring them back and have them experience Alfea the right way – maybe even with Eiji.
Aiki glanced up at Farah at the touch and smiled weakly before turning his attention back to the screen, continuing his bickering with Eiji as usual. Maybe later, after Farah has gone to bed… I'm sure Eiji will have questions for me anyway. I think he can tell something is up. They looked to their brother, but Eiji was seemingly caught up in the game at the moment.
Farah glanced longingly at the door that had sealed her fate for the time being. Her mind continuously wandered back to Saul – hoping, wishing, praying that he was alright. She dreamt that Luna used her gateway ring again to reopen the gateway and Saul would come through the door and crush her in a hug then kiss her until she couldn't breathe. But until it happened, it was only a dream.
(Skipping through dinner because that's boring 😩)
Eventually, the time came for everyone to go to bed. Aiki had given Farah a quick tour of the house to show her where the bathrooms and bedrooms were, and brought her to their older sister's vacant room. It was very clean, and clearly hadn't been used for a while. The whole room had a pale blue color scheme.
When Aiki returned to his and Eiji's shared room, Eiji finally asked him what had happened and if he was alright. Aiki choked and drew in a wavering breath, rubbing at their eyes as they sat beside their brother and recounted everything that had happened to them. Eiji soothed him gently, using his power to get and calm him down a bit more, and just allowed Aiki the time to be vulnerable for once.
(Fair. I was going to suggest that pretty soon lol. Also, question, where do they live? Like in a town, out by themselves, etc;)
Farah sat alone in the room that once belonged to Aiki and Eiji's older sister. When Aiki left, it finally gave Farah the opportunity to let her emotions out without having to worry about others feeling them too. She laid on the bed for a long time, letting the rawness of her pain sweep over her, and she closed her eyes if only to picture Saul's face and imagine that he was beside her.
(They're in a neighborhood on the outskirts of a city ^^)
Aiki sobbed into Eiji's shoulder for a while, clinging to him for comfort. Eventually, they fell asleep in his arms and he sighed softly, simply laying down with Aiki. He figured that they could share a bed for the night if it would help Aiki, after all. They'd been through a pretty stressful experience.
(Feel free to go to morning if you want 🕺)
(Kk, cool. By the way, I'm sorry I'm not on as much anymore. My parents have decided that I spend too much time on my devices, so I'm not allowed to have them in my bedroom late at night anymore 🙄)
Farah didn't remember what time she fell asleep, but when she woke in the morning, she didn't remember where she was. Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat bolt upright to take in her surroundings. The confusion was quickly replaced with a wave of sadness. Though this room was homey, it wasn't her home. She longed for her Alfea bedroom where she knew Saul was down the hall if she needed someone to talk to. Though she had Aiki here, it wasn't the same – just like she knew that she wasn't the same as Eiji when Aiki was stuck in the Otherworld. Even if it meant Rosalind lurking around every corner, that was more familiar than this First World home she was currently trapped in.
(Np ^^)
Aiki woke up before Eiji and carefully separated themself from him, heading to their own bed and laying down with a soft sigh. He figured that Eiji wouldn't bring up what had happened the previous night, but he still thought it would be better to not be cuddling with his brother consciously. Eventually, they got up quietly and headed to their older sister's old room to see if Farah was awake. He hesitated before carefully opening the door and peering inside.
Farah had let her hair down from its perch, and she brushed it out slowly with her fingers. Her eyes were glazed over like she was physically in the bedroom but mentally somewhere else. The door opening made a quiet noise, but it was enough to relieve Farah of her stupor. Her eyes blinked, widened, and darted over to the door to see Aiki. At the sight of him, she relaxed and motioned for him to enter deeper.
"Good morning," she murmured, an easily forced smile taking over her features. Back to masking.
Aiki looked over to Farah and their ears perked up a bit. He hesitated until Farah motioned for him to enter, and he did so, coming a bit closer to the bed. There was still a bit of redness on his cheeks and under his eyes, which betrayed that he'd been crying the night before. "Good morning… did you sleep alright?" They asked softly, fidgeting with their hands. "My mom should be making some breakfast soon if you're hungry…"
"Slept as well as I could," Farah replied, trying not to sound bitter. She was grateful for the Akaume's willingness to help her, but it was an unnatural environment for her. She noticed Aiki's red-rimmed eyes and prayed hers didn't look the same, though she knew the chances were slim. "Are you alright?" she asked them quietly.
Aiki smiled weakly and shrugged. "I'm better, I think. Just… talked with my brother last night. Told him about everything that happened. Sorry… I hope that's okay." He laughed dryly, considering for a few seconds before sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing at his eyes. "I was sorta expecting to end up crying in his arms, but at the same time… I was really hoping I wouldn't. It's kinda embarrassing to break down in front of my brother like that…"
Though it made Farah a bit uneasy that yet another First Worlder knew of the Otherworld, she nodded slowly. "Yes, it's alright. I understand why you would want to talk to him about it." The more Farah listened to Aiki, the greater empathy she felt for him. "There have been many times when I was embarrassed to cry in Saul's arms. Mostly after long sessions with Rosalind. But in the end, I needed the release of emotions, and the showing of vulnerability made our relationship stronger."
Aiki laughed weakly and leaned his head back against the wall. They looked pretty tired, honestly, but they did feel a bit better. "Y-Yeah… Eiji isn't gonna make fun of me for it or anything, it's just… we're not normally emotional or vulnerable with each other like that, so it's hard to break that barrier. He isn't going to tell anyone about it either, so you don't have to worry about him spreading Otherworld secrets."