Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What were we to each other, Sarah? We weren't friends, nor were we lovers. For some odd reason, you believed we were. It creeped me out how you knew where I was and knew who I was talking to.

You would also send me photos of me walking down the street and make me guess where you were. I wanted to block you so badly, to cut off all contact forever. But I couldn't—you threatened to kill my friends and sister.

So I was basically wrapped around your finger. 

You loved me too much to harm me in any way. So my close friends or family were the only ones you could get rid of. I would stay up at night wondering if that was going to be my last day with my close allies.

I hated your jealousy. 

You were my greatest mistake. I NEEDED to get rid of you.

Sarah... I was afraid of you. If I could, I would change fate so I never met you. 

『flashback』

I want to stay in bed so badly, but I promised Vivian yesterday that we'd hang out. My eyes open slowly—maybe I should start sleeping early so I’m not this tired during the day. The first thing I see with my blurry vision is a figure standing over me. Their hair is blue. "Belle? What are you doing here? And why are you standing so close to the bed?"

The look on Belle’s face—it’s unique. I never thought I’d see her like this. Her unblinking stare was soft, reverent, like I was a fragile secret she’d kill to protect. But once she noticed that I was awake, she changed her expression. "Uh, Good morning wise! I hope I didn't interrupt your sleeping"

She ignored my question... Maybe if I ask again, she’ll actually answer "so why are you in my room? I'm not trying to be rude or anything but you usually wait until I wake up to bug me. So what's the special occasion?"

Her smile faltered for a moment. She gave me an annoyed look. Then pointed down "Vivian is waiting for you downstairs. She just won't shut up, and keeps saying 'Lord Phaethon' this and 'Lord Phaethon' that. Why do you still have her around? She's annoying"

Something feels off about belle. I've always been aware that she's jealous of Vivian and my other close friends, but she's making it more obvious. "Please don't talk bad about Vivian. We're basically the only friends she has left. Hugo entrusted me with her anyway, so I have to take care of her. And today is the day where I spend the entire time with her"

"So, is she your new replacement sister? Is that it? Why don't we ever spend time with each other anymore!? When was the last time me and you just walked around Sixth Street or Lumina Square! All you ever do is hang out with your female friends and never with me!" 

She suddenly gets on top of me, lays her head on my chest, and starts crying. "Why can't I just spend time with MY brother?! Why can't they just leave you alone and we can still be close like before!"

I didn't know what to say. What could I even say in this situation? 'Its gonna be okay belle' or 'Stop crying'.

The only thing I could think of was to slowly stroke her hair. "Belle, please calm down. I'm never, ever going to replace you. You're my sister—my pride and joy—so please don't think I'll toss you aside once I find someone new. You're my everything, Belle"

She looks up to me, like a puppy looking at its owner. "Really!? So if I asked you to cancel your 'date' with Vivian... then you would? Please? Please Please Please Please Please Please Please"

I'm scared. I have to be careful what I say. "I... I just can't. I promised her that I'll spend the day with her, and I can't cancel last second. It's rude to do that, belle. We can hang out another time—I swear!"

She grabs my neck. Choking me with all her strength. "So you lied to me saying that I was your everything!? I HATE YOU!"

I can't breathe... Her tears are going on my face... I'm scared. "Belle... I'm sorry... please let go"

I can't tell if what I said managed to convince her but she stopped choking me and got off me.

Cough

I had to get up from my bed. I look over to belle and she's crying. What should I do? Should I yell at her for trying to kill me? Or do I just forgive her? She's my sister, but she tried killing me. "Belle... It's fine. Please don't be upset with yourself. I'm not mad—I'm just scared. Let's just never mention this again. But just leave my room, please? I need a moment to myself. Tell Vivian that I'll be there in a few minutes"

"I'm sorry, wise. I'll leave you alone" She says before closing the door.

What should I do in this situation? How do I deal with this situation? Is ignoring the situation the most healthy way? Even if I didn't, then how am I gonna face belle? Am I just gonna be scared of seeing her? No. Never.

She's my sister and I love her, but she loves me more than a sibling. I feel so sick. I just wanna throw up. This isn't family love... This is more than Family love. She's obsessed. It's not healthy.

I can't stay up here forever. Vivian is gonna be suspicious that something happened. I need to have a conversation with Belle later.

----

"Hello, Vivian. I hope I wasn't wasting too much of your time" Even though I could've died if my sister didn't let go. I feel so sick remembering.

"Of course you weren't wasting my time! I was thinking of every place we could visit before it gets dark! A date with Lord Phaethon... It excites me just knowing that the person I've admired for so long is the same person I'm going on a date with" she says before grabbing my hand.

Maybe Vivian couldn't feel it, but I could—the immense jealousy lingering in here. Belle, we're siblings. You shouldn't be jealous of my relationships with my friends. We're going to talk once I get home.

"Well, see you later belle"

----

"So you choose Lumina Square as our first visit? I'm sorry for doing this but can we go check out the gardening shop nearby? I've been meaning to pick up some things I ordered"

She wasn't mad or upset, she was thrilled too. "I always wanted to know what Lord Phaethon did in his free time. I can see what type of flowers you enjoy so I can add that data into things I already knew."

She continues mumbling to herself, mentioning the word 'Lord Phaethon' at least 10 times or so. It's both cute and a bit creepy on some level. If I remember correctly, she mentioned how she made her own merchandise. I'm pretty sure now that she found out I'm Phaethon, she has photos of me everywhere in her room. 

"Vivian, I have an important question before we arrive at the gardening shop. Do you still plan on taking me to your room like you asked me while we were in the Ballet Twins?"

"You still remembered?! We can but... I haven't tidied up my room yet!" She says, covering her face out of embarrassment.

"It's quite fine, Vivian. There are times when I forget to clean my room, and belle or other people walk into my room when it's a bit dirty. So don't be ashamed of it. As long as I can walk around then it's fine"

"You're so understanding, Lord Phaethon! We can go there once we're done here"

Click

"Vivian. What flower seeds should I use when I get back to random play?"

"Hm? You should choose Daisies"

"I really should. They remind me of belle a little— Cheerful and innocent" Or they did before I found out how she truly sees in me.

I feel like we should get going before something happens. Something in my gut tells me I should. "Let's get going. When we get to the car, you're gonna have to direct me back to your place"

----

As we start to walk closer to the car. Two Pubsec officers stop us. "Are you wise? We have a few questions that we need to ask you"

Crap, what did I do this time?

Chapter Text

It hasn't been long since they brought me in here. The cuffs around my wrist are tight. Are they really necessary? It's not like I'm a dangerous criminal... Let me rephrase that. It's not like I'm dangerous. I wouldn't even hurt a fly

... Where are the two people who are going to interrogate me? The Pubsec officers told me that two people were gonna come in pretty soon, but that was 10 minutes ago. I have plac- before I could continue my rant. Two familiar people walk in

"Hello Zhu yuan and Qingyi. Do you happen to know why I was placed under arrest? I haven't done anything illegal. I was just hanging out with a close friend"

The first thing I notice is Zhu Yuan looking at her phone. She has a firm grip on it—holding it like she wants to crush it. Her eyes are wide, unblinking, locked on the screen. I see the tiniest twitch in her jaw. Then, slowly, she looks up at me with a chilling smile

"Who is this person next to you? What does she mean to you? Why hasn't she gone home yet? Answer. My. Question's"

"Next to me? What are you talking about, Zhu Yuan?" 

"THIS!" she says before showing me her phone. It's a photo of me and Vivian from earlier

that's where the 'Click' came from. I would've noticed if Zhu Yuan and Qingyi were following us. but I didn't. Maybe those Pubsec officers who arrested me are the culprit's 

"I can explain. The girl next to me is Vivian. She's both a close friend and an obsessed fan of mine" is it rude to call her an obsessed fan? It's really not. After everything that she told me, she's more than that.

"But why her? You should know that if you call us, we'll drop our paperwork to hang out. You're our exception to everything—day or night, busy or not. We'll always be available for you"

This conversation is going downhill. I'd better stir this in the right direction. "I'll keep that in mind for next time! So uncuff me and let me continue my day with Vivian. Pretty please?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Qingyi staring at me the entire time. She didn't say a word while Zhu Yuan and I were talking. How should I put this? She stood still, smiling faintly, her eyes fixed on me. Her gaze was calm-too calm-like glass just before it shatters

"What about you, Qingyi. Can you uncuff me? My wrists are starting to hurt a lot"

"No. It seems like you didn't understand her words. Do you not know what you mean to us? You mean everything to us"

"I get it—I really do. It's just that you guys are acting extremely weird. Yes, I understand that girls get jealous, but this isn’t a healthy way to deal with it. You had two officers arrest me and put me in this room, and now you're asking me questions about the girl I was walking with—as if it’s a crime to know her. Just please act normal and talk to me normally as well"

The room was quiet—so quiet you could hear your own thoughts clearly. "Lock the room, Zhu Yuan. Manager, do you know why you're locked up in here? Not only is it soundproof, but it also has no cameras. So let's talk for a bit"

"What do you mean talk? Why are you locking the door? Why did you mention that there are no cameras? What do you plan on doing to me?! Please I'm sorry! I'm sorry for not taking what you said seriously! Just please don't hurt me! I just wanna continue my day"

This day SUCKS. Belle tried choking me to death, and now I'm in a situation where I might be harmed by the end of this... Please I need someone to save me

"Manager, you know there's not gonna be pain involved. Not useless I have to, of course. You just have to understand what you mean to us" she says. Then, without a word, she stepped closer and cupped the side of my face

----

How long has it been since we last saw each other? I can’t even remember how many years it’s been. Honestly… I’m somewhat glad we didn’t stay in contact.

You were a psycho. You got mad at me just for talking to the other students—especially when I laughed with the girls. That always made you furious.

I still remember the time you threatened to cut off my tongue because I lied to you. At first, I thought you were joking. It was kind of funny—until you actually grabbed a knife and told me to stick it out.

Like what the hell. Back away from me.

But the truth is… I sort of miss you. So much. Deep down, I think I loved you—even if it was just a little bit. Sometimes, I wonder what you're doing with your life now.

Did we ever cross paths again without knowing? Did you see me but choose to forget?

Who knows.

Sarah, do you miss me?

----

My body... It feels like I got beaten up by a group of thugs. Where's Zhu Yuan and Qingyi? The last thing I remember is feeling a shock go through me after she touched me.

"Pspsps, Lord Phaethon. Up here"

I'm going crazy. I swear I just Vivian vo— "Vivian?! You don't know how much I've missed you!"

She squeals in excitement "Lord Phaethon misses me~ if we weren't in this situation then I would've done things to you"

Note to self. Never allow belle to hangout with Vivian if she's in a vulnerable state. Who knows what she's gonna do to me in my current state of mind. It's hard to stay awake and it's even harder to move. I can't mention that to Vivian or she's gonna take advantage of it

"Do you mind helping me take these handcuffs off? They're starting to hurt my wrist"

"Oh, right. Sorry about that" she jumps down from the vent and fumbles around with the cuffs. "There!"

Once the cuffs were off, I started rubbing my wrist. "Thank you once again, vivian. If they were still on for any longer, it would've left bruises around my wrist and it'll be hard to explain to belle about the entire situation"

The room is starting to spin again—! I feel like I can't even stand up properly

"Lord Phaethon? Are you okay? What did they do to you?! I swear when I get my hands on them then I'm gonna make them reg—"

"It's okay, Vivian. I don't think they were in the right state of mind to do this. They're gonna apologize when I see them again"

"Why are you forgiving them!? Look at what they did to you! Who knows what else they did to you when you were unconscious"

"Please calm down, Vivian. We can talk about this more once we're out of here"

"Fine. Let's go"

She looked upset when I told her that I wouldn't be mad at them for everything they did to me. But what am I supposed to say? I'm scared that they're gonna do something worse to me or that I'm gonna ruin our friendship

"How are we gonna leave?"

"You're not in trouble, Lord Phaethon. So we can just walk out without being questioned. Unless your pubsec friends catch you. They'll definitely put you into a cell, and maybe I'll get put into a cell too"

"No! They're going too far if they get you in trouble too"

"What about you? It's not going too far if they get you into a cell?"

"I don't care about me. I'll do anything just to get unreleased, but I don't want you to get involved with my problems"

She sighs and gives me a concerned look. "I'll do anything just so that you're okay" she changes her tone "and I mean anything"

"Thank you"

----

We walk out of the NEPS Building. The sun was already going down. I would've been worried about where the car was.But Vivian mentioned earlier that after I was taken, she bought the car close to us. Which made the walk there pretty easy. I'm sort of lucky that she did, knowing what state I'm in. I don't think I could walk far or I would've passed out

"I'm sorry for asking this after you did so much for me, but can you drive? My hands aren't in the best condition to drive"

"Of course! You already went through so much. I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you, Lord Phaethon. I didn't know what was happening until I saw you passed out on that chair"

"Thank you for worrying. Do you think we can reschedule our hangout until I'm feeling better?"

"Take as long as you need! I'll drive you back to Sixth Street"

We both get inside the car, but I don't want to go home. I'm scared that Belle might do something to me. I want to tell Vivian about what happened in the morning, but she'll get even more worried.

"Can you wake me up once we're back to Random Play?"

"Sure. Sweet dreams, My love"