aphrodisiac | ran haitani (18+)

iv.

a/n: thank you for 100+ reads!! heres the new chap hope you guys like it ^^ sorry these chapters take too damn long i apologize ;;

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"so, uh, our neighbor," rindou leaned on the kitchen counter, eyeing his lovestruck brother who was washing the dishes, "does she know about your..."

"no, she doesn't." it was enough to ruin ran's mood. "she'll know, eventually. i just don't know how she'll take it."

"she seems like a nice person."

"we've had a lot of nice people come in and out of our lives, rindou." ran looked back at the sink, his eyes cautious. "i like y/n a lot, but who knows what she's thinking."

rindou shrugged it off, proceeding to the living area with the wide sofas. he jumped over and plopped himself onto the cushions to admire roppongi's view on the wide windows that stretched throughout the entire living area's wall.

the younger brother has been keeping an eye out for ran ever since he started acting different. it was an indication that the eldest has found someone outside of work.

it has happened multiple times before since ran, despite seeming like he's always thinking things through, admits to slipping up every now and then. this is where rindou comes in to act as his mediator. rindou has never attempted to date, nor has he ever attempted to pursue anyone after an unfortunate incident. he grew up learning a lot about these kinds of things related to romance from the people around him though, so it helps being a bystander.

from what rindou could assess, y/n l/n is different. ran explained that you looked like "you know everything and nothing at the same time". it could be some sort of act that you're up to, ran thought once. a complex, confusing puzzle he has yet to decipher.

as ran continued to go about his duties in the kitchen, rindou turned on the television to see what's up lately. at the same time, rindou's phone rang.

ran could barely make a sentence out of the muffled words rindou was saying, but he could tell that his little brother is upset.

"we've been waiting for months for this gig, what the fuck do you mean that it got cancelled?" rindou spoke a little more audible this time. "i haven't had a paycheck for like, what, four months now?"

the person on the other side of the phone spoke back, and it pissed rindou off more. "so you threw us under the fucking bus for some goddamn bigshot? you could've just asked me to... you know what? fuck y'all. i'm heading over there."

rindou, enraged, threw the phone to the side before he started pacing around the living area. ran approached. "you good?"

"i'm not." rindou pinched the bridge of his nose in distress. "our client's backing out last minute. i might check into it today."

"hey." ran patted his brother's back with care. "you haven't had any rest for weeks now. you gotta let that client go if you have to."

"let that client go?" rindou's tone felt a bit sharp to ran. "we can't do that. there was a deal."

"may i remind you that this studio you're working for is an illegitimate one? it would be understandable if that was the reason why the client switched last minute." ran said. "you have you quit that sketchy-ass studio, rin."

"i can't." rindou stood up, upset. "i'm sorry... i have to go."

"well, stay safe then..." ran was already too late since rindou had stormed off.