20- Cream

When I was little, I had a sister and her name was Mika.

We were everything alike, and not quite. We both had pale skin and lithe bodies, but while I had pale hair and silver eyes, she had blond hair and bright blue eyes.

While to everyone, I was the little freak show that looked like I wasn't real even though I was classified as perfect, they treated her like she was perfect enough to be called human.

They couldn't get enough of us. Enough of her.

They were rumors that they had thought a sort of sibling rivalry would begin between us because of people's opinion on us, but that was impossible.

Mika was the light in my life. Through all the socializing and stares, she was always so bubbly and happy, making me feel more human than anyone could. She was also quite naive and a bit dumb I think but it didn't matter cause I would protect her.

Yes. It had felt mildly intoxicating. I, Crassius Aurelius, who had been pampered and fed all his life and couldn't even care for a goldfish for more than a day was protecting something.

To be honest, I don't think anyone ever shielded their sibling as I did, excluding Chocolate, I never let her out of my sight.

And the one day I did—

My hands move to Vanilla's bruised face, some splotches of it now purple. As I do so, a weird feeling curls itself inside me. It's cold. Like tendrils trying to freeze my heart.

Why do I feel this?

I can hear Strawberry curse and slam his hand on the steering wheel many times, Caramel looks absolutely petrified and he won't move, while Chocolate had already driven his bike to the Manor so he could tell Doctor we were taking her to the hospital.

"Why isn't she fucking picking?!" He snaps before the frustrated look on his face gives way for relief "Doctor? I—" Then his forehead creases "Alex? Where is Sweet? Why the fuck are you picking her phone?"

I never looked at Vanilla's eyes. Are there as blue as Mika? I was always looking through her and never at her, and now I'm curious.

"The fuck?!" Strawberry suddenly spits out then after a while, throws the phone out the window and rakes a hand in his hair "Be nice, they said. Just fucking ignore her and you'd get some peace, they said. They are all fucking pricks"

Caramel looks at him. I can tell he is sick. Looks sick. His face has a green shade to it that makes me want to lean forward and brush his hair but I hold Mika.

She's so cold.

"Wh-Whats w-wrong?" Caramel stutters, his hands are white, whiter than mine and he's squeezing his blazers so tightly. 

Strawberry looks unpleased with the way Caramel is fidgeting, and more unpleased with the fact he asked those questions but then he seems to push his angry side down and say "Alex says we can't take her to a hospital"

Mel's eyes widens "B-But—"

"We're supposed to bring her straight home"Strawberry continues, like Mel hadn't said anything "And that some bastards are trailing behind us and we're supposed to lose them"

At that, Mel looks completely terrified "W-W-W-What?"

I take a lazy turn towards the back mirror of the car, noticing that they are people following us behind, presumably at a safe distance on bikes.

"I'd lose them, babe" Strawberry says, eyes still trained on the road as he presses his foot more on the accelerator.

Mel looks skeptical at those words but I knew Ber meant it. There were different routes to the Manor and within each one were lines Doc called Green lines though I'm sure neither Mel nor Coco were aware of it.

She once said we should keep in mind whenever we drove that if we ever had to be followed and we crossed that line, we needed to know after that, we were safe.

And I'm sure Strawberry knew the same.

I could tell the bike riders did not plan to come too close but I could tell he was picking pace. I used that moment to look at Vanilla again.

Why would anyone want to hurt someone pretty?

People— People never made any sense at all.

My hands on their own impulse moved to wipe sweat from her forehead, her face grimacing as she turns, a pained look on her face.

"Mika" I whisper, trying to keep her steady on my body before I bend to her neck. She's sweaty but I don't mind as I nuzzle in closer "Who hurt you?"

"Mika" Crassius stared at his sister. He was a boy who didn't know how to use emotions very well, or show it for that matter, but his sister always found a way to get him feeling things "Who hurt you?"

Mika Aurelius was trying to hide her face behind the palms of her hands, her voice visibly shaking even though she tried to sound okay "It was a mistake! They didn't mean it! You can't tell Mom or Dad!"

Crassius came closer, glad she wasn't moving away before he peeled her hands off her face.

There was a gash on her cheek. It was ghastly. It was ugly. It made Crassius feel like vomiting. It made him feel like killing someone "Who did this?"

Mika was shaking her head as tears pooled in her eyes "We were playing and they pushed me—"

"You went outside the house again?" Crassius asked "How many times would you learn?"

"I hate being here" She said, sniffing "I don't have any friends"

There was a tug on Crassius' heart at those words "You don't need them. You have me"

Mika looked at him. Her face tried to form a smile but she was failing miserably "You're my brother"

He looked perplexed now "Why can't I be both?"

He didn't understand why she felt like he couldn't be both. He played with her. He also let her make him up and do dress up too.

Wasn't that okay?

Mika slowly shook her head "It's not enough"

"Master Cream?"

I raise my head from Vanilla's cold body, seeing Alex standing outside the car. I can see we are at the Manor now and Strawberry and Caramel are both no longer in the car and it's just me and her left. I hadn't even known we were here.

"Give her to me"

I slowly shake my head "I don't want Mika leaving my sight"

"Doctor is going to take good care of her" 

I look up at the man "Promise?"

He nods.

Slowly, reluctantly, I let him take her from me before I come out of the car, my eyes landing on the person resting cross legged in his pyjamas with a smirk on his face "Hey, Snow White"

Chocolate's eyes scan me as soon as I'm out "Well, darling, you look like shit"

I don't reply as I walk away from him, hearing him trail behind me before I go up to my room.

"So what's up? Why is Caramel shaking like a leaf and why do you look so shitty?" Coco asks, entering behind me as he closes the door.

I again, say nothing to him. My hands move to the water dispenser and I take a glass of water. I'm about to raise it to my lips before I hear Chocolate say "And why'd you call Kitten Mika?"

And then the glass falls.

It immediately shatters, the water splashing over my legs and feet as I turn to him, my voice low "You already know what happened"

Chocolate as he comes closer, his hand taking mine and pulling me away from the glass shards on the floor before they rest on my shirt as he begins to remove the buttons "You found Vanilla hurt. I get that, but you were hogging her. And you called her Mika. Now, that's a whole different scenario, isn't it?"

I keep staring at the male, still saying nothing. I can tell something is up with him, even though with Chocolate anything was possible.

When he has finally managed to get all the buttons off, he pulls my shirt off and I say "It was a mistake"

"Mhm"

Surprisingly, he says nothing else. Just undresses me and waits for me till I'm done showering and changing. After we head down for dinner, I notice Strawberry and Caramel seated already.

Caramel looks like he had been crying and Strawberry looks stressed but I can see him rub his hand on Mel's thighs, as if he's trying to both of themselves down.

"Honestly with the way you all are behaving—" Chocolate moves to his chair next to me and sits "I'd think she died or something"

Caramel's head snaps up at his brother's words while Strawberry sends him a glare before Coco giggles "It was a joke."

"It wasn't funny." Mel says quietly, the sadness in his voice evident.

Coco pouts and leans in closer "Aww. Feeling guilty because you were too busy moaning at Ber's touch to go help her when you knew something was wrong?"

Caramel gasps at the words and even I am looking at Chocolate. There's a smile on his face but I know enough about emotions to tell that he is faking it, because he would never be unkind to Mel. Ever.

"Don't even act like the fucking saint" Ber snaps "Why didn't you go look for her yourself?"

Chocolate gives a small careless shrug "Because I'm not the one who has a crush on her"

"Apologies for my tardiness"

All eyes move to Doc as she goes to her seat. She still has on her office clothes but there are red stains on her shirt and a tired look in her eyes before she says "Let's eat"

We do as she asks even though there is obvious tension in the air as we do so. We all know that the dining area, especially when food was on it, wasn't something she joked with and even though we were all clearly not in the mood, we ate. Even Caramel finishes his food easily, though he is the last of us.

As soon as that happens, we all look at Doctor Sweet.

She is beautiful, the gentle look on her face able to make the weird thing in my chest loosen a bit. Even when she smiles, her eyes light up and makes the tension around us reduce by a thousandfold as she says "How are you?"

There is silence at first but Strawberry breaks it by scoffing "That's a very fucked up question, isn't it Sweet?"

She doesn't remind him of the no cussing on the table rule, her eyes rather are on Caramel "Love?"

The male looks tinier than normal when we look at him, his eyes on his laps as he wrings his fingers "I— I feel scared"

His voice is tiny now and even Chocolate's fake smile is dying away to show the fear of Mel being in any sort of pain eating him up "It's my f-fault. I always k-keep messing up. I s-should have h-helped her. I should have g-gone and l-looked for her. I knew s-something was wrong but I just d-didn't— She w-would have done the s-same for me. I can't even d-do anything r-right, I—"

It's like the words can't leave his lips anymore as he begins to heave and stutter his words more than usual.

Chocolate looks like he is seconds away from stabbing himself because I can see him dig his nails into his arms. He knows it was what he said that made Caramel feel that way and the fact he would hurt his brother—

I reach out and let him dig his nails into me instead. It doesn't hurt so he keeps going at it while his eyes stay on his brother. 

Strawberry looks lost, scared, hopeless. He knows he isn't qualified to handle a crying Caramel. None of us are.

That is why when Doctor tells him to come to her, he relaxes, Chocolate let's my hand go and a pleased feeling fills me.

Caramel doesn't waste any time in running to her and sitting in her lap before he buries his face into her chest. His sobs become full blown wails as she whispers words none of us can here into his ears, even though the sound of her voice helps us feel better.

After a while, he calms down and begins to sniff before he looks down at her body and says in the cutest voice I've ever heard "I r-ruined your s-shirt"

There is a small teasing smile on her face as she replies "It was already ruined, love"

He gives a small nod, before he begins to wring his fingers again "Is s-she a-alright?"

She nods, and though she doesn't look away from him, I can see her hold his fingers to calm him "She is. Vanilla is strong" Then she turns to us, voice still gentle "I am sorry for whatever stress you boys went through in bringing her home"

Usually, Strawberry would have said something really dark about that but seeing Mel's breakdown had him soften a bit "That's cool and all, but what isn't cool, is the fact that you haven't told us what she's doing here"

Doctor's smile doesn't falter "I apologize for that as well'

"Sweet" Strawberry gave a small growl "That's just not going to cut it. For fuck's sake, we were followed today. We could have gotten hurt"

Doctor looks a bit hurt by those words "I would never put you in any situation that would hurt you"

"That's not the point" He continues trying to change his direction now, because I know Strawberry. His weak point, his deepest one, was Her "Who were they? Those rebellion people that want our families stepping down? Or some batshit crazy organization? Cause I swear—"

"They weren't there to harm you, or any of the boys" Doctor answers, even though I'm sure that's not what the answer is supposed to be.

"Not us?" Mel asks, his voice finally having a bit of life into it "Then who?"

"Kitten?" Chocolate suggests, and when Doc doesn't say anything, he laughs "Well fuck me and say I love dick. That girl's got some chaos streak even more than I do"

"Why would anyone want to follow her?" He sounds a bit offended at the fact that it wasn't even us they were looking for "Is that why you brought her here? For fuck's sake, Doctor, send her away. We don't need all this shit"

We all expected the answer she gave "I can't"

"'Course you can. It's your bloody house" Strawberry says with a matter of fact face "Call back that lady what's her face that brought her—"

"She's dead".