"I'm bored. When is daddy going to let us go out?" The life of the Hoshino twins was, in recent days, one of boredom. Though it had become abundantly clear that it was because of their adoptive father's worry for them with the Kokabiel incident it was still disappointing.
"Whenever he thinks it's safe. He's strong and so are our uncles but they're in limited supply." It was the ever calm Aqua that responded to his sister's whines, unabashedly reading a book on medicine much too large for a child his age.
It was off putting at first when Damian boldly revealed their reincarnation but it had turned out fine albeit with plenty of guidance from the previously stoic man. Now, they reaped the benefit of that cruelty as they no longer needed to hide their intentions.
"I know that but I wanna watch mana!" The logical half of Ruby's mind did understand her brother's words but unfortunately, the undying fan half of her brain easily overpowered any logic in her life. Put simply, she was an idiot.
"I do too but you don't see me whining about it. You're almost an adult, grow up a little." Blandly replying to his sister Aqua flicked on the TV with a brief flash of magic. The clan trait of the Oriax clan they were descendants of was versatile and even if it wasn't powerful it simplified life.
"Oh? You two kids arguing down here?" The ever unreliable and perverted Marco asked as he descended the stairs, his upper body bare and covered in kisses as usual. It was every night that he brought in a girl and it was every morning that the two children lost their respect of him.
"We aren't arguing." Pouting lightly Ruby turned away from the half naked man. She had no interest in a womanizer even if he was her uncle. If it weren't for Damian, he'd be a threat to their mother after all.
"Keep it that way alright? I'd hate to call the boss over." Marco spoke unusually sincerely, a knowing smile on his face that attracted the twin's childlike curiosity. Damian was busy at all times but Marco still never hesitated to call him over, he was their father after all.
"Why?" It was Aqua that bit the bait first and Marco didn't say a word as he reeled them in. All he did was point at the TV show they were watching, or rather the interview of their dear mother that had yet to begin.
As if reacting to the surge in interest, the show began. It started off in the usual manner, with the reporter giving a vague overview to build suspense before revealing the guest. This time, however, there was a single very pink haired anomaly.
"Dad?!" Ruby shouted in surprise, her face pressed close against the TV screen before she was teleported away by her brother. Damian wasn't one for public appearances, even those he made in the underworld were the bare minimum. Yet here he was, in a very human interview.
"You guys should know about the wish stuff, right? Yan Qing's alcohol collection he keeps bragging about comes from there so you should." Lazily dropping onto the couch, his arm draped along the bag and a cup of water in the other.
"This is mom's wish?" Aqua asked rhetorically, instantly hitting the nail in the head. Ai Hoshino was blatantly in love with Damian and even though it was obvious to anyone with eyes, Ai herself wasn't entirely aware of it.
She knew she liked him but she didn't know it was love, or rather she convinced herself it wasn't love. She didn't give up of course but Ai was naturally a liar and she lied to nobody as much as she did to herself. She didn't want to get hurt so she deceived herself.
"Mhm. Your mom's a weird one. If she went the bold route like Ingvild she might also have a ring on her finger right about now. Instead, though she just wanted this one interview together. I don't get it but as long as her boat's floating it's fine in my books." Marco lazily explained.
"…" Keeping their silence a smile crossed Aqua's face, one that contrasted well with Ruby's mixed look of sorrow and anger. Marco wouldn't get it but the twins did, they lived through a similar fate after all.
Marco was a womanizer, he knew how to play hard to get and how to act confident but he wasn't aware of the more pure side of love. Ai didn't particularly care for the ring or the wealth she'd get, she had plenty of that.
What Ai wanted was memories, just a few dozen memories she could look back on and smile at. She didn't want the lustful relationship Marco had with so many people, she just wanted the two to be together for a little bit each week and enjoy each other's presence.
The fact of the matter was, Ai was a pessimist. No matter how brightly she smiled or how cute she was she didn't believe any of it herself. In the back of her mind, there was always the nagging feeling that she would lose it all, that her effort was useless, and so on.
The mere fact that she brought Damian onto her show, onto her home turf where she lied and lied without a change in expression meant one thing to the twins. She didn't plan on hiding anything from Damian, she wanted him to see the real her.
And from there, well, it was obvious. Luckily the twins could take care of their own nightly routines without her help or the two pair of love birds might not be able to make them a sibling any time soon.
"Stupid daddy." Whining with a clear pout Ruby looked away from the screen. Unlike Aqua, she was torn between joy and sorrow. She was happy for her mother's sudden burst in courage and hopefully pleasant future of course but…
She also didn't want to think of her mother doing that! It was horrible for a child to imagine their mother getting pressed into the sheets each night and it was worse for a fan. As a fanatic fan bordering on insanity and a happy daughter, she was torn.
"Give up. It'll happen anyway." Aqua spoke bluntly, a fountain of tears cascading Ruby's face.
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