Broken Strings (Len x reader)

Chapter 19

(Y/n)'s POV

~The next day~

A yawn escaped my lips as I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes. Huh? Did I sleep over at Len's house? Oh no, I forgot to tell Haku-nii...

As I was about to get up, something heavy prevented my legs from moving. Wait...Len?! He had fallen asleep with his head resting gently on my lap.

I smiled before touching his hair. Omg, it was so soft, sort of like touching a cloud. When I looked at his face, I noticed sweat had formed on his forehead.

Was he having a nightmare? I gently shook his shoulders, trying to wake him up. After a while, his eyes fluttered open. He looked at me as if he was confused about what was happening.

"Good morning, Len."
"(Y/n)?"
"Yep, it's me."

He sat up on his chair and sleepily rubbed his eyes. I stood up and walked over to pack up my things. It was already 8 o'clock.

"(Y/n), where are you going?" Len asked.
"Back home. Haku-nii must be worried sick."
"Don't go..."

Before I could reply, he had his strong arms around my waist and was hugging me from behind. I could feel his breath against my neck as he held me closer. *blush* Gosh, I still wasn't used to this...

He turned me around and placed his lips on mine. I could immediately feel my cheeks heat up. He pulled away only to smirk as he saw my red face.

"You're still blushing, huh?" he asked teasingly.
"S-shut up."
"You can go now. I only wanted to see your reaction."
"Meanie."

I poked my tongue out at him before leaving. While walking home, someone suddenly linked arms with me. Kazuki gave me a slight grin.

"What-"
"Ssshh, just play along. Some creepy guys have been following you for a while," he whispered.
"Oh..."

He moved his arm so that it was casually draped over my shoulders. I awkwardly moved a little closer before glancing behind us. It was true. There were three men trailing a few metres behind.

"So how was last night, (Y/n)-chan?" he asked.
"Eh? *blush* What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about."

Suddenly, he had me pinned against the wall of a building. I could only stand in shock as he moved closer. Eh? What now? What else did he want to say?

"Wait for them to pass," he whispered into my ear.

I nodded. Kazuki hid me from the three passing men as they tried to peek past his shoulders. They cursed at Kazuki's back before finally leaving. They didn't bother to come back.

I could only sigh in relief as Kazuki stepped away, giving me some space. He was nervously scratching the back of his head. I looked at him in confusion.

"Sorry! Please don't beat me up!" he exclaimed with a deep bow.
"What? Why would I?"
"W-well, you know..."
"Because you stood so close to me?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Seriously? You were only trying to help me, and I doubt you had other intentions in mind."
"That's true but-"
"Whatever, just forget about it."
"So where are you going?"
"Home."
"Can I go with you?"
"Maybe next time. My dad is a little annoyed at me..."
"Oh, okay. See you later."

He jogged off in the opposite direction after I waved goodbye. As I headed home, I noticed someone's car parked in the driveway.

I rushed inside and slammed the door open. Michiko had invited herself in and was cornering Haku-nii. Dad was nowhere to be seen. He was probably sleeping in his room or something.

Before Michiko could get away, I pulled her back by her hair and pushed her up against the wall. She looked frightened by my gaze.

"What the hell are you doing with my brother?"
"Can't you see? I just woke up from spending the night here," she replied with fake innocence.
"What did you just say?"
"You heard me."

I looked over at Haku-nii. He avoided eye contact with me and looked elsewhere. What? Did Michiko actually spend the night here? That...could not be true, right? No, Haku-nii never would've let her.

"You're my brother, right? You were by my side all the time, right? You should know better than anyone..."
"...you're right, (Y/n). I guess I just lost myself for a minute."
"Then..."
"Yeah, it's not true. She came over early in the morning," he said with a grin.
"Haku, you promised me!" Michiko yelled.
"Well, that was then. This is now. I was an idiot. My sister doesn't like others keeping stupid promises to avoid hurting her."
"So what? You're going to risk her safety just because of her likes and dislikes?!"
"Pretty much. After all, she has me."

I smiled as he said this. Michiko turned to me and mouthed 'don't forget' before heading out the door. I gave Haku-nii a stern look.

"What? I was only trying to keep you safe," he exclaimed while putting his hands up.
"Geez, how could you forget? Are you like a goldfish or something?"
"Huh? No way. Maybe you're the goldfish."
"Shut up."

He ruffled my hair and headed back to his room. I waited for him to fully shut the door before grabbing my phone to text Michiko.

Me: Hey

Michiko: So have you decided?

Me: I

I was cut off in the middle of my sentence as Len's name popped up on my screen. For some reason, he had just coincidentally called me right when I was about to text Michiko my answer.

"Yes Len?"
"Don't tell Michiko your answer yet."
"But-"
"Listen to me. There's something you need to know. It's really important."
"Something important?"
"I think I found a way to save your brother while exposing Michiko's secret."