As light poured in Axel"s room, he thanked whoever said that there was no school on weekends. After walking Ann home, he ended up getting back pretty late, forgoing a shower as he collapsed onto his bed.Last night was rather interesting, to say the least. When the doctor finally showed up at LeBlanc, she was surprised to find that Axel really did reserve a plate for her.
Axel accepted her thanks with a smile as he attended to Ann, feeding her curry while she relaxed in his lap.
However, the doctor easily caught his attention when she started eating as he pushed the loose strands of hair behind her ears, revealing the earrings and studs she wore.
Akira collapsed to the ground with blood dripping down his nose while Ryuji complimented her on her style.
Chuckling to himself, Axel shook his head as he put on some clothes and headed into the lounge.
Feeling a bit peckish, Axel turned the TV on as he quickly got to work in the kitchen. He wasn"t expecting anyone as Akira was finalizing the plan with Morgana while Ryuji was creating the letter to materialise the treasure.
While absent-mindedly whipping up breakfast, Axel"s phone beeped as the screen lit, showing he recieved a message. Turning off the stove, Axel opened the message and froze as he read what the message said.
"Hey... Do you mind if my sister and I come over for a bit? Today"s a special day for us and… we don"t really want to be alone right now. Please text me back when you get this."
It only took a few seconds for Axel to come to a decision as he quickly pulled up Makoto"s number. After the first beep, the call connected as a slightly hoa.r.s.e voice came through the speaker, "…h.e.l.lo?"
From her voice alone, Axel could tell that she seemed to be sad as he spoke in a gentle tone, "Hey Makoto, I got your text. You and your sister are absolutely welcome to come over."
Makoto was silent for a few seconds before she muttered in a slightly happier tone, "…Thanks Axel. I"ll tell sis that you said yes. I hope you don"t mind but we"ll be over in a few."
Axel and Makoto spent a few more minutes just talking to each other about anything. He tried his hardest to raise Makoto"s mood but every attempt seemed to barely do anything.
With Sae"s voice calling for Makoto to get off the phone and get in the car, Axel couldn"t help but say, "Uh, Makoto? If you dont mind me asking, why is today a special day?"
Makoto"s voice fell silent once more. Once the silence became slightly unbearable for Axel, Makoto"s sigh was heard over the phone as she said, "It"s the anniversary of my father"s death."
Stunned, Axel didn"t even realise that Makoto had hung up. While lost in thought, Axel sniffed the air and panicked as he quickly took his breakfast off the stove.
Sadly, it was too late as the bacon and eggs he was cooking ended up burnt.
Sighing, Axel put the food aside for Stella as he quickly started on a much larger portion of food, "Might as well make alot since Makoto and Sae are coming over…"
---
After a few minutes, Axel just finished plating up a large helping of breakfast when the doorbell rang throughout the house. Axel quickly removed his ap.r.o.n as he yelled, "Coming!"
Opening the door, Axel saw the two niijima sisters. Makoto greeted him with a small smile while Sae seemed oddly quiet. She simply greeted him with a nod before thanking him for allowing them to visit.
As she quietly made her way past Axel, Makoto tug at his sleeve and whispered, "Dad"s death hit her the hardest. Every year, she gets like this so please forgive my sister for her behavior."
Axel quickly waved away her worries as he smiled, "What type of insensitive b.a.s.t.a.r.d do you take me for? Don"t worry Makoto, I won"t blame her OR you for anything today."
Without warning, Axel gave the future Phantom theif a strong hug as he whispered into her ear, "So if you need me for anything, all you have to do is ask."
If he was to be honest, Axel had no clue on what he should actually be doing to comfort Makoto and her sister. Having never comforted someone about this type of thing, the best Axel thought he could do was to be there for her.
Makoto took a deep breath as she pulled Axel closer. The warmth she felt from Axel was slightly addicting as she stayed silent for a few seconds, just enjoying his embrace.
Once she finished hugging him, Axel grabbed her hand and said, "Are you hungry, Makoto? I just finished making breakfas-"
Before he could finish saying the word "Breakfast", Makoto suddenly sprinted pa.s.sed him, leaving him alone in the hallway with his hand awkwardly raised.
Shaking his head, Axel quickly followed behind her. As he walked into the living room, Axel had to pinch his side to keep himself from bursting into a fit of laughter.
Like children, both Makoto and Sae were sitting down at the table. The sisters wore a giddy expression on their faces.
Makoto was even kicking her legs back and forth as she waved for Axel and said, "Come on Axel! Hurry up and take a seat!"
Axel chuckled at her actions as he sat down next to her sister, Sae. The eldest of the niijima sisters looked at him with a small smile.
She offered Axel a quiet apology as she realised that he had prepared enough for all of them, even though it"s been a few minutes since the call.
Axel waved her off with a smile as he said, "No need to apologise. It doesn"t take much effort to cook a couple extra portions, after all."
The trio ate breakfast in relative silence. After a few minutes, a soft sobbing resounded from Sae. Axel turned to Sae in concern as he lightly wiped away the tears pouring from her face.
Suddenly, Makoto started sobbing as well, leaving Axel both worried and stressed. He was starting to panic when Sae softly grabbed his hand.
Axel turned and was about to ask what"s wrong when Sae cut him off as she smiled through her tears and said, "Don"t worry about us. Your cooking… just reminds me of my father."
She leaned over the table with a loving smile as she gently wiped away Makoto"s tears with her sleeve, "It"s funny, really. Your food is so much better than anything my father could make yet… every bite I eat reminds me of him."
Makoto nodded as she silently started eat her food again, tears still pouring down her face. Axel, now knowing that they weren"t really sad, collapsed into his chair as his panicked heart started to calm down.
Sae smiled softly at Axel as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, starling him as he jumped in his chair. She chuckled as she whispered, "That was just a small "thank you", Axel."
"Ever since my father pa.s.sed away, I began bottling up my emotions. Makoto was still young then and our mother was too shocked at our fathers pa.s.sing to function. Someone needed to step up and take care of our family."
Sae turned and watched Makoto eat with a loving smile on her face as she continued, "So that"s what I did. I buried my sadness and grit my teeth as I did what I could to raise my sister."
With a worried look on his face, Axel gently held Sae"s hands, surprising her slightly, as he asked in concern, "Are you alright?"
Sae wanted to say she was fine. She wanted to be strong, for both herself and Makoto. But for some reason, she couldn"t bring herself keep her mask on as her eyes slowly watered.
Her breathing hitched in her chest as she softly choked out, "I-I"m… really not alright. With work always taking up my time, I barely ever get to do anything for myself. I… I just want sometime to grieve, since I didn"t do it when he pa.s.sed."
Axel nodded to her, "Well, you could always do it now. Your sister is right there and you don"t have work so what better time then the present! I"ll just step out for "
Makoto suddenly cut him off as she grabbed his hand and yelled, "No! You don"t need to leave! I"m fine with you being here while we talk! And I"m sure sis doesn"t mind, right sis?"
Just as he was about argue that he would just be intruding on the sisters personal business, Sae looked at him smiled gently as she replied, "She"s right, Axel. I don"t mind you being here when we talk."
"Actually, you being here helps me. For some odd reason, I find it much easier to open up about my feelings when your around." Said Sae as she looked at Axel with an unnoticeable blush.
Makoto smiled as she excitedly said, "Same here! Opening up just feels easier with Axel around."
Both girls seemed to have spoken telepathically to each other as they nodded and turned towards Axel. Sae"s unnoticeable blush became visible as she and Makoto launched a girl"s most dreaded weapon at Axel.
The puppy dog eyes.
Dumbfounded, Axel found himself unable to leave the room. Both girls looked up at him with watery eyes and pouted lip, making Axel feel that it would be cruel to reject them.
Especially since Sae was pushing herself to appear cute. However, instead of appearing "cute", Sae ended up looking very s.e.xy. Her posture seemed to emphasize her curves while she looked up at Axel in an almost sensual manner.
Ignoring the heat gathering in his cheeks, Axel silently gulped and nodded. Both girls faces seemed to brighten as they started talking.
For hours, the sisters reminisced about their father, laughing and crying as they released all their pent up emotions. Neither Makoto nor Sae realised that, at some point, the pair were tightly holding Axel"s hands.