"I would say 'welcome home', but that simply isn't true. Wait here," Yani ordered before walking towards the all-too-familiar kitchen.
Aki stood still as he continued analyzing the room. The attention to detail was too accurate to what he could remember. The shade of the drapes that were never properly closed. If Yani left no details out, there would be a crack in one of the windows.
It was made when Aki, Yani, and Yang played doughball with a basketball. Yang was aiming for Aki's head and Yani pulled him out of the way. Causing the thick glass to split. They mutually agreed to keep it a secret between them and never played near the windows again.
"Take a seat."
Aki whipped around to see Yani holding two mugs in his hands. It was a crimson color and only one had steam coming out. It smelled like pomegranate and orange peels.
"You always had a strange taste in tea," Aki mumbled before taking the hotter mug and sitting in the chair.
Yani sat on the couch across from him and took a sip. "It's the perfect blend of sweet and disgusting. Which makes it longer lasting. But you already know this…"
Aki could only stare deep into the liquid it made the coldness in the room bearable. His stomach was tied in knots with the growing anxiety. He needed to ask, but every attempt to open his mouth ended with his jaw clenching.
He was furious that Yani casually kept this a secret, upset by the fact he felt at home and scared for the explanation Yani had for why he had this made the place so detailed.
It felt no different than an agonizing nightmare. One he couldn't wake up from.
"Since you won't ask, I'll answer." Yani's voice caused him to jerk his head up the see the male with a blank expression. "It's not for my amusement, nor is it to punish you for what you did. I spent years replicating this place whenever I could. This place is not my home, but my personal Hell. A punishment I agreed to, because no one else could do it."
Aki gripped onto the cup, not caring how badly it burned. "You're insane to do such a thing." He glared at Yani. "I already forgave you for what you did! This isn't a punishment, it's an obsession!"
"You say you forgive, but your eyes say otherwise. I don't disagree it's mad to do such a thing. To the other rosebuds, this is a luxurious house. But to us, we know it's more than a fancy abode. I hate it here, but it's because I never want to leave." Yani continued sipping his tea quietly.
Aki sat his mug on the low table. "You said this was something you agreed to. Who made you do this? I doubt the previous rulers cared enough to make you do it. So who did?"
Yani choked on his tea and began coughing. It was rare to ever see him caught off guard. Which meant he was onto something.
He cleared his throat and regained his composure. "It was an agreement to myself. As I said, no one can inflict it for me." He kept his eyes fixed on his cup.
Aki could easily tell Yani was lying, even if he didn't show a hint of it. "Adkin mentioned you were in contact with an Observer. Though they don't interact with another plane of existence, they care enough to make decisions on where I can and can't go. My guess is this Observe is the same one who punished you."
"…That worthless mix breed always has to ruin things for me…" Yani sighed in defeat. Remaining emotionless as he nodded. "You're correct. This Observer was the one who I consoled for punishment. Though my brother felt no remorse, I betrayed the only family that accepted my existence and showed me what parental love was. It was a sin carved deep in my chest."
"Why this Observer in particular? What makes them special enough to do something to someone as prideful as you?" Aki leaned back in his seat. Having a slight advantage made him feel less anxious.
"…I'm forbidden from saying who. Until they choose to reveal their name to you, I could never say it for them. However, it did hurt my pride to request such a dreadful thing from them. It hurt, but I did it because I wanted to punish myself for robbing so much of you. What I did was unforgivable-"
"Shut up!" Aki screamed as he slammed his hands on the table, nearly knocking the cup over. "You keep talking punishments and forgiveness! I forgave you the night it all happened!" He felt like his feelings that were written in his journals finally coming out verbally. "I hate Yang for doing this! I hated you for letting it happen! But I hate myself the most for not listening to my brother! I will never truly understand how you could do this, but I know you didn't have a choice!" Aki's vision became blurry with tears forming. "I forgave you because I know you were following orders! You were punished for sparing me, but it would've been worse if my family was kept alive!"
"It's not like you to act so humanly," Yani commented. "Even if you say that, things won't change. This house will remain the same, and I will continue my punishment until the Observer feels it's been served properly. It's a law we have no control in."
Aki felt torn to pieces by his words. Just standing in this house made him awful, he couldn't imagine how Yani handled having to replicate every piece of it. He kept rubbing his eyes, but never felt the stream of tears ending.
"That ring was gifted to you by that mixed breed, correct?" Yani asked, his voice sounded much closer. When Aki looked to his side, Yani was kneeling beside his chair. His arms resting over the arm of the chair.
"I-I'm sorry… I'll remove… it…" Aki apologized as he tried taking it off, only for Yani to stop him.
"You can keep it on. Since we are equals in this world, I can't force you to reject gifts. But I'll make sure to give you better ones, so don't reject them. Okay?" Yani reached out and wiped away Aki's tears.
Seeing Yani act envious was a bit relieving to see. It lessened the suffocating atmosphere from before. "Even if you weren't my master, you're still my friend." Aki smiled at him. "Sorry for yelling. I think I was more upset than I thought…"
Yani stood up and ruffed Aki's hair. "It's okay. Why don't you enjoy your tea? I'm gonna have a word with that weed. I know he's still here."
Aki didn't have the energy to intervene, so he just held the cooled-off mug and quietly sipped his tea. Right as the door closed behind Yani, Aki could already hear the two arguing. It lasted for a few minutes before the door opened again.
"Tacky bastard. The hell's with your interior? It's like walking in a musty museum," Adkin commented as he walked in.
"It's much better than that sad excuse for a home you have. I don't worry about leaky roofs or invading rodents," Yani spoke.
Adkin flopped on the couch. "Hey! It's called living within my means! It's perfectly fine and Aki said it was normal and cozy."
"Remember, I'm letting you stay the night as a privilege. Privileges can easily be taken away. So watch yourself," Yani warned.
"Wait, he's staying here?!" Aki spoke in disbelief. With their track history in staying under the same roof, this place would be in shambles. Even if it hurt seeing his home again, he didn't want to see it destroyed.
"Don't worry. We agreed to be as civil as possible. I'll make dinner and show you two to the bathroom and your bedrooms," Yani explained.
Aki remembered Adkin's plans to end the night. "Actually, can we have pizza and watch a movie instead? Adkin and I were gonna do that before you found us."
Yani stared at him with a smile before shooting a glare at Adkin. "Fine. But you're paying for it. I'm not in the mood dealing with any more humans tonight."
Adkin shot a glare back. "I'm a guest here! Why the hell should I pay?!"
Yani shrugged with a smirk. "It was your plans with Aki. I shouldn't be responsible for making it happen. Make sure you pick the best from this area, Aki deserves better than cardboard with toppings on it."
"If you guys are gonna fight about it, I don't want it anymore…" Aki sighed. Even when it came to enjoying his finals hours on Earth, they couldn't even fake it. "I'll just go to bed, night." Aki stood up from his seat.
"Forget it, I'll pay!" Adkin and Yani shouted in unison before looking at each other.
Aki stifled a laugh. "Then you two can split the cost! Problem solved."