BELOVED BY THE TWINS

CHAPTER 12

"BELOVED BY THE TWINS"

by: Dark Flame Master

As Shin walked outside the school gates his mind drifted back to Juri, the new transfer student. He couldn't stop thinking about the way she had pouted and crossed her arms when he ignored her. For some reason the image of her tiny frame and determined attitude made him giggle to himself. She was so short and the way she had tried so hard to talk to him was kind of funny.

But then, he shook his head quickly trying to forget about her. He didn’t want to get close to anyone. Being alone was better. The last time he opened up to people it only led to bullying and betrayal.

Shin continued walking pushing Juri out of his mind and focused on his plan for the afternoon. He was going to visit his mother at the hospital. On the way, he decided to stop by a flower shop to pick up some flowers for her. After that, he would grab food for himself and the twins, Luca and Ruka, so they could all eat together. The twins had always been there for him and they were the only ones he felt truly comfortable around.

As he approached the hospital he stopped at a small stall selling fresh flowers. After a few moments of looking through the various bouquets, he picked a bunch of bright, cheerful daisies. His mother always loved daisies.

Carrying the flowers and a bag of food, Shin made his way to his mother’s room. He opened the door slowly peeking inside.

“Mommm..?” he called out excitedly.

His mother turned to look at him but instead of greeting him with a smile she turned her head away dramatically and pouted like a child crossing her arms.

“Hmph,” she muttered playfully.

Shin blinked in surprise. “Huh? Why are you acting like that?” he asked, stepping inside and placing the flowers on the bedside table.

“You haven’t visited me in two weeks,” his mother said, her tone teasing but with a hint of real sadness. “I missed you.”

Shin scratched the back of his head feeling guilty. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ve been really busy with school… and with the twins,” he explained.

His mother glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Well, the twins have been visiting me almost every day, telling me all about you.”

Shin’s eyes widened in embarrassment. “What? What did they say?” he asked, suddenly worried.

“They said you slipped in the bathroom and sprained your foot, and that’s why you couldn’t visit me,” she said, shaking her head with a small smile.

Shin’s face turned red. “Oh… yeah… sorry about that,” he mumbled, feeling a little ashamed for lying.

His mother waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. Are you okay now?” she asked, concerned was filling her voice.

Shin nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. The twins helped me. It’s a good thing they’re studying to become doctors.”

His mother smiled clearly proud of the twins for taking care of him. “That’s good. You’re lucky to have them.”

“I know,” Shin said with a soft smile. He sat down on the edge of the bed looking around the room. “So, how have you been? Everything okay here?”

“I’m doing fine,” his mother replied then changed the subject. “How was school today?”

Shin hesitated for a moment, then said, “It was okay, but… there’s this new girl. She’s really cute, and—”

Before he could finish, his mother cut him off, her eyes lighting up. “Oh… I think it’s time for them to arrive,” she said, looking toward the door.

“Huh?” Shin said, confused.

As if on cue, the door opened and Luca and Ruka stepped inside, both of them smiling warmly.

“Hi, Mom!” Ruka said cheerfully, walking over to give Shin’s mother a hug.

“Mom?” Shin said, looking between the twins and his mother in confusion. “Since when did you start calling her ‘Mom’?”

Luca shrugged, sitting down on the couch. “You didn’t tell us you were coming today, Shin,” he said casually.

Shin blinked, still thrown off by the whole “Mom” thing. “I… I just decided to come by after school. Sorry for not telling you.”

“It’s fine,” Ruka said with a smile.

Shin nodded, still feeling a little confused. “I brought food. Let’s eat together,” he said holding up the bag of food he had bought earlier.

"Thanks Shin I'm really hungry" Ruka said.

The twins made themselves comfortable on the couch and they all began to eat. Shin’s mother had a private room thanks to the twins insisting on it. She had refused at first, saying it was too much but they had been persistent and she eventually agreed.

As they ate, Shin decided to bring up something that had been bothering him. “By the way… why did you guys tell my mom I sprained my foot? You promised you wouldn’t say anything!”

Luca pointed his spoon at Ruka. “It wasn’t me. Ruka was being talkative as usual and it just slipped out.”

“I’m sorry!” Ruka said with a sheepish grin. “I didn’t mean to say anything.”

Shin sighed, shaking his head. “Well, now you have to be punished,” he said with a smirk.

Ruka blinked. “Punished? How?”

Shin grinned mischievously. “I’m taking two of your chicken nuggets,” he said, reaching over to Ruka’s plate.

“WHAT?! Nooo!” Ruka whined, his voice full of pitiful protest.

“That’s what you get for being talkative,” Luca said calmly though he couldn’t help but smile a little.

Shin’s mother watched the interaction with amusement laughing at how close the three of them were.

After a moment, Shin looked up at the twins. “Wait, before I forget… why do you call my mom ‘Mom’?” he asked, still puzzled by the whole thing.

The twins and Shin’s mother exchanged glances and after a few seconds they all burst out laughing.

“What? What’s so funny?” Shin asked, even more confused than before.

His mother wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling. “I told them to call me because they’re like my sons too,” she explained.

Shin raised an eyebrow, grinning. “Oh, so that means I should start calling them my brothers, right?” he teased, giggling at the thought.

The twins both shouted at the same time, “NO!”

“Why not?” Shin asked, still laughing. “If you call her ‘Mom,’ I should be able to call you ‘brother,’ right?”

The twins looked at each other then back at Shin. “You just… can’t, okay?” Luca said, trying to keep a straight face.

“Yeah, don’t even think about it,” Ruka added.

Shin’s mother was laughing so hard she had to wipe her eyes again. “Shin, stop teasing them. Don’t call them ‘brother,’ okay?”

Shin looks at his mom. “Why are you siding with them? I’m your real son!”

The room was filled with laughter as they finished their meal. It felt warm and light like old times and Shin felt grateful for moments like this.

Later, when it was time for Shin to go home the twins suggested he wait for them since their shift at the hospital was ending early. Shin agreed and the three of them walked home together. However once they entered the house the atmosphere changed. The lightheartedness from earlier was gone and both Luca and Ruka had serious expressions on their faces.

Shin felt the shift immediately. “What’s wrong?” he asked, a little concerned.

Luca gestured to the sofa. “Let’s sit down,” he said

Shin sat, feeling a bit nervous like he had done something wrong. The twins sat across from him their serious expressions making him even more anxious.

“So… who’s that cute girl you were talking about earlier?” Ruka asked, his voice calm but with a hint of something else beneath it.

Shin blinked, confused by the sudden topic. “Oh, the cute girl? She’s a new transfer student,” he said casually.

The twins exchanged a glance their mood darkening even further. “Is she really cute?” Ruka asked again, his tone a little sharper.

Shin nodded, a bit confused by their reaction. “Yeah, she’s short. She looks like an elementary school student,” he said with a shrug.

Ruka frowned. “Aren’t I cute? Maybe I’m not because I’m tall,” he muttered under his breath.

Shin burst out laughing. “What are you talking about? It’s not like she’s my friend or anything.”

“Why not? Don’t you want friends?” Luca asked, his voice unusually serious.

Shin’s laughter faded, and he looked away. “I do… but I feel like they would just betray me once they find out I like guys.”

There was heavy silence in the room.

Ruka blinked. “Wait… you like guys?” he asked, clearly surprised.

Shin nodded slowly. “Yeah, didn’t I tell you? That’s the reason they bullied me in the first place."

“No, you didn’t tell us,” Luca said, frowning.

Shin looked down at his hands feeling a bit embarrassed. “I thought you knew… that’s why you asked me to be your boyfriend when we first met," Shin finished, his voice barely a whisper as he looked down his face slightly red from embarrassment.

Ruka's eyes widened in surprise and before he could stop himself he blurted out, "Oh, so that’s why your mom—"

Luca immediately reached over and covered Ruka’s mouth, stopping him mid-sentence.

Shin looked between the two, confused. "Wait, what about my mom?" he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

Luca quickly shook his head, trying to play it off. "Nothing, nothing at all. Ruka just talks too much sometimes," he said, forcing a smile.

Ruka, still silenced by Luca’s hand nodded. He tried to look innocent but it was clear something had almost slipped.

Shin frowned, feeling like they were hiding something from him but he decided not to press further. "Alright… if you say so," he muttered though he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.