in another life | yang jungwon ✔️

2.5 | hot water

[tw: abuse]

it was 2 in the morning in the nishimura household. ayame was sleeping in her bed while riki was in the kitchen making himself pasta since he was staying up, studying for a test.

their father was not home. to be honest, they never knew when he came home or when he went out. they always just prayed he wasn't home when they were.

it was pouring rain outside as riki stared out of the window above the stove. he looked down at the boiling hot water and grabbed the box of raw pasta and was about to open it but stopped when he heard the front door open and slam close.

riki froze in his spot as he heard the footsteps come closer to the kitchen.

"niki" a slurred voice spoke.

riki bit his lip before turning around and walking towards his father but keeping a distance, "h-hello father"

"why are you a-awake?" his father was leaning against the counter and his speech wasn't right

"i uhm..have a test tomorrow so i stayed up studying and i got hungry" riki responded, his heart racing from nervousness

"is ayame asleep?" riki nodded. his father said nothing and turned around to go to ayame's room, "wait! no!" riki ran immediately in front of his dad, "don't bother her, she had a long day and she is tired"

"move niki" his father tried to move around him but riki moved along with him, "nishimura niki"

"no!" he shouted, "just let her sleep! i know what you're going to do to her"

his father was getting fed and grabbed riki's hair, pulling it, "can you stop getting in the way of things?"

riki held onto his hair, trying to get his father's hand off of him, "just leave ayame alone! please!"

"you're such a nuisance!" he quickly dragged riki over to where his boiling pot of water was and riki panicked

"no! wait wait!" riki shouted, knowing what was about to happen

their house wasn't big so him yelling immediately woke up ayame.

not bothering to check the time or anything, she dashed out of her room and into the kitchen only to see her dad holding riki by the neck, choking him basically and his hand on the handle of the pot of boiling water.

"riki!"

just as he was about to throw the water at riki, ayame ran towards riki, pulling him out of their father's grasp and wrapping her arms around riki.

with no time to process, their father threw the hot water at ayame's back.

"ayame!" riki panicked as he saw the water seeped through the shirt she had on. he then looked at his father, "why would do that?! are you crazy?!"

"both of you! get out! get out of this house!!" their father screamed at them.

"fine" without wasting time, riki held onto ayame's wrist and dragged her to the front of the house, where they quickly slipped on their shoes, riki grabbing their jackets and leaving the house

putting on their jackets, they ran through the rain.

where?

they didn't know.

the two reached the bus stop and stopped under the rain. ayame sat down while riki was trying to figure out what to do and where to go.

"where can we go?" ayame asked, looking at her brother as she tried to hold in the pain she had on her back, "your friends..?"