Disclaimer: I can't own everything now can I?

Chapter 5: A Piano Piece

There were many reasons why Lysander was able to sleep earlier. His aunt, though eccentric, was a comforting paternal presence, considering the fact that he and Leigh lived alone in the city. She was like their second mother, in her own way. There were times when she would stay to cook dinner, times when she would celebrate their birthday, times when she would just be there-more often than not. Life without her would simply be unsatisfactory.

A frown marred his elegant face. "Lilith my dear, I've told you more than enough times already. Calling people 'toys' can lead to misunderstandings and misunderstandings can lead to problems." He scolded.

Lilith was a large contributor. He completely adored her, despite not entirely showing it. She was, in a word, fun. Unreadable, yet predictable. Smart, yet silly. Instinctive, yet dense.

"I understand that Lysander. Would you like me to apologize?" Her words were apologetic, but her expression was anything but, with her scarlet eyes screaming withheld defiance.

She didn't like to be kept on a leash, but she didn't want to be completely loose. She was a bundle of contradictions, a puzzle. She was so simple, yet complex. The idea of truly figuring her out tantalized his wayward mind in the darker hours of the night. The secret he knew about her literally screamed to be told the moment he saw her.

"An empty apology is worse than no apology at all, my dear." He said, briskly.

Here she was, in front of him, staying with his aunt in Sweet Amouris.

Her red eyes softened.

"...I'm sorry Lysander..."

She was hiding secrets, but so was he, so was Leigh. The odds were against him, with her here, she'd gravitate toward him, and his secret wouldn't be safe. However, at the same time he would be able to unravel her mind, something that he was never able to attempt after she stopped visiting them after that incident in their youth.

His hand automatically moved to push back a lock of hair behind her ear, fingers lingering at her cheekbone.

"It's alright my dear." He smiled softly at her.

She was his amusing little sister.

She leaned into it almost instantly, warm scarlet eyes looking up at him.

He was her gentle older brother, even if legally cousins.

The door opened and Castiel walked in, Demon secured with a leash. "Am I interrupting something Lys?"

He had a secret.

"No, nothing at all Castiel." They pulled apart.

An ironic one.

"You sure man?"

"Positive." Lilith responded. "Now keep your lips shut about the topic, Scarlet."

"Lilith dear, your language. I believe Leigh has received compensation for the damages caused?"

"Yeah, that stuff emptied my wallet. I'm surprised Nate hasn't said anything about it, all these façades that I've seen; he'd think you were as 'corrupted' as me."

Because she was, in fact, his secret.

"Well, I'm afraid to say it appears often in our family. We've always been quite, as you would put to terms, 'wacked up'."

"So it does, so we are." She shot a one-sided smirk at the red head. "How would you know?"

Castiel gave an easy laugh. "Ya'know something Lys, I just might actually like this cousin of yours."

A chuckle escaped his lips as he glanced lovingly at the girl in all her glory. Years apart hadn't changed her in the slightest. People grew fond of her quickly, as per usual.

"Indeed."

A week passed and Lilith quickly grew accustomed to her new routine of waking up at 4 am for a jog around town, leaving the apartment by 5 so she could make it to the swim club for morning practice at 5:30, washing off in the locker rooms after, changing, then meeting with Nathaniel at the Student Council so they could walk to class together.

Nathaniel hadn't said a word about anything stress-related, so she never brought it up. They chatted about various things; she supposed he never really spoke to anyone as casually as he did with her. Lysander wasn't very close with the blonde, so there was little she could work with.

"Hey Lilith," she looked up from the notes she was taking. Their English teacher, Mrs. Tier, happened to have a love for philosophy, a topic that appeared often during a lecture. At the moment, she was discussing one of Francis Bacon's quotes, the clock only minutes away from releasing them to lunch.

"Yes Nathaniel?" She glanced up at him, he looked rather tired today. Was he up late studying for today's Chemistry test?

Nathaniel hesitated before answering. "Could...Could we maybe try one of those relaxation techniques you were talking about?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"It's just a thought…"

She sighed and turned back to her notes. "Give me a time and a place."

He paused before smiling. "Thanks. Could we do it in the Student Council room during lunch? I'm busy the rest of the day."

"That's fine with me, my aunt wanted to take me out shopping later anyhow."

"Lilith, is there something you and Nathaniel would like to share with the rest of the class?"

Nathaniel stalled for a moment. Were they talking that loudly?

"No, Mrs. Tier." Lilith said. "We were just conversing about one of Francis Bacon's quotes."

"Really now? Would you care to share the quote Nathaniel?"

Oh, this woman is clever, she thought, looking over to her supposed partner in crime.

Nathaniel racked his brain for a quote. "'Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion'."

After a moment, she nodded and turned back to the board, only to be interrupted by the bell.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The class began packing up, she and Nathaniel lingering behind as Mrs. Tier announced that there wasn't to be any homework, insuring cheers from the students.

They made their way to the SC room, avoiding any passing by students.

Nathaniel had spent the last night looking up relaxation techniques; Lilith's offer to help him relax had been tempting him since the beginning of the week. They were mainly breathing and massage, but a few were just a bit too…strange, for him to handle.

It didn't help that he had no clue as to what kind of techniques she was speaking of.

"So, what did you have in mind?" He asked, locking the door behind him. He didn't want anyone watching in on them; it would spark misinterpreted rumors all over school.

She gave him a look and sat down in a chair. "I was thinking we'd start off slowly." She gestured to a chair opposite to her, which he took. "Close your eyes and take deep breaths. Once you're relaxed, we'll start."

He did as he was told, though he was becoming slightly lightheaded.

He was doing this wrong, wasn't he?

"You'll end up hyperventilating like that. Breathe slowly, as if you're getting sleepy." She was frowning, he could feel it.

"Good. Slower, deeper breaths...clear your head..."

His breathing hitched; there was something on his chest.

"Shh...Just relax." He felt her hands gently pull at the fabric of his tie.

"What are you-?"

"I'm giving you some room to breathe. I'm guessing it isn't very comfortable to always wear the top two buttons, not to mention this tie."

His mouth opened to defend himself, but it quickly closed. Why did she have to be right?

He felt her smirk at his white flag. Blood rushed to his cheeks in embarrassment.

"'A woman's guess is much more accurate than a man's certainty'."

"What?"

Her fingers paused at his top button. "Rudyard Kipling." She said, amused. "Don't tell me you forgot the hour we spent in Mrs. Tier's class listening to her lecture about him, considering it was yesterday."

He silence spoke volumes, and she giggled.

"Alright, I'm stopping now." She said. "Are you relaxed?" Her hands fumbled with his shirt neck. She seemed stuck on the second button.

He released a deep breath. His body wasn't as tense as it was before. It was looser, and it felt a bit more nimble. His head was clear.

Good, no more dizziness.

"Yeah."

"Keep it like that then."

His hands reached up to undo the pesky piece of plastic, fingers brushing over her knuckles. It came undone easily under his touch, ensuing an indignant huff from her. Her hands pulled back almost immediately, but he didn't wonder why.

"Here, listen to this." A pair of earbuds was set in his hands, and he put them on blindly. He was surprised to hear instrumental music playing.

How classy of her.

He sat there for a few minutes, soaking in the arpeggios and decrescendos. He had listened to many different instrumentals, pianos, violins. This piece, it was different. Something he had not heard before.

"Hey, Lilith?"

No answer. He couldn't hear anything but the music, thanks to the sound blocking of her earbuds.

"Lilith?" She didn't even give a sign that she was even listening.

The music stopped, and he pulled out the headphones. "Lilith...?"

She wasn't even in the room.

A piece of paper on the table caught his attention.

I left this 15 minutes before lunch ended. I wonder when you read it, how much time you'll have to eat.

-Lilith

p.s.

I expect my music player back by Monday if you plan on keeping it over the weekend.

He looked at the clock, and sighed. It had only been five minutes since she left. He looked at the track, which had been set on repeat. No artist, no album, but there was a title.

"Three in the Morning (Aftermath)"

A/N: The song Nathaniel was listening to does not belong to me :3 It's one of my favorite tracks from Homestuck Vol. 9 (sue me) and is definitely on my relaxation playlist. I don't know, it just feels calming, and I'm a huge Homestuck :)

You can listen to it on youtube here: /watch?v=nkRwwNcIkEw (add that to the end of the youtube URL)