In The End, Crystal Is Just A Child

Next day, I find myself sitting on my bed feeling groggy due to the insufficient amount of sleep.

“Bye-bye baby~ I'll be very late tonight. So both of you behave okay~? Crystal, sweetie, take care of your kuya... And... geeeez~ Don't tease him too much 'kay~~?”

“'Mkay mommy!” she raises her right arm to express her agreement. She seems so happy. Quite excited actually.

Mom, don't leave me alone with this devil. She's planning something devious!

“Hehe, I'll just ‘play’ with my kuya all day long~”

I refuse. I don't want to play with you. Leave me alone!

“Hehehe. That makes me happy. But please let your kuya rest as well~”

“En!”

Nah, she won't.

“'kay. See ya later~ I love you~” she pats both our heads.

“I love you too mommy! Please be safe~” Crystal pecks mom's cheeks.

“Take care po, mom. Don't worry about me.”

“Great.” She then looks sad, tilting her head, she pokes her right cheek with her index finger, “But where's my kiss~~?”

“Err..”

“Hmm?” mom leans forward, waiting for her kiss.

I...

Awkwardly, I give mom a peck on the cheek. But even though I seemed reluctant doing it, mom is extremely ecstatic, “Yay! Hehehehe~”

*Clap*

Crystal and mom does a high-five. Both of them looks unusually excited. Crystal's excited behavior is the only one scaring me though.

She clearly plans to do something to me while mom is at work.

“Okay, I'll be leaving now. Ba-bye~!” mom gives Crystal a wink.

She says goodbye then the door closes, letting the sound of the lock to escape.

*Creak~*

“Ugh...” Crystal rolls over and lies on the floor staring at the ceiling. “I think it's time for action. Kuya! We need to talk!” she says loudly while lying on her stomach.

This girl...

“The floor is dirty. Are you throwing a tantrum?” I ask as I sit up.

“Don't be dumb. I'm cleaning it properly. How can there be a speck of dust, duh!” she's acting like a bratty little child. That eye roll hurts to look at.

Well, if she wants to clean the floor with her shirt, then so be it. But even though I feel so tired, I just can't fall asleep until I know what she's planning, “Do you really think I believe you're just here because you wanted to talk?”

“Whaaat?? Nooooo~” I could see her pouting while rolling around.

I sigh deeply and lay down on the mattress.

“Kuya~! Pick me up!” she grabs my ankle. Pouting with puppy eyes, she begs like a child, “Pretty pwease~?”

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The hell is she acting childish now for?

“No. I haven't recovered from my wound yet, li'l sis. It will open up,” I hug myself.

“Hmph. Then, wanna eat something before you start talking,” she peeks at me from the ground. From this angle, I can only see her eyes. Fucking hell, she's so adorable.

“What?” I ask obviously suspicious, “Talking? You mean ‘interrogation’ right?”

“You got it perfectly, kuya Mark! I am impressed. Maybe it's alone, but your singular brain cell is capable to comprehend something so complicated.”

“Ha-ha. I find it funny, li'l sis,” I'm obviously being sarcastic.

She laughs at me, showing her teeth. I turn onto my side and close my eyes, feeling sleepy already.

“Hey~”

“Hmmph. What? I don't have the energy to talk anymore.”

“Kuuuuuuuuya!” she's acting spoiled all of sudden.

“My chest hurts. Please stop shaking my bed!”

“‘Our’ bed.. hehe.”

I really hate this girl sometimes.

“And how is it yours? If you ask me, my name is embroidered on it,” I ask her smugly.

“Hmm. You're right, kuya Mark. It's yours, but...” she sits up from the floor. With her strength, she makes me sit up and now, all of sudden, this girl is now sitting on my lap. Her legs wrapped around my belly. Our face is so close and I can feel her warm breathe. Deliberately, she speaks directly under my jaw sending me chills all over my body, “..You are... MINE. Tsk tsk. In that case, what you have is also mine.”

What the F? When did I become yours?

As if reading my thoughts, she glares at me, “If there's something I don't like... No, no. That's not enough... Yes! If there's something that I truly HATE, it's when someone take what is mine! I refuse to let even God touch my possessions.”

“You make yourself sound very possessive. That's not a funny jo—” I tease her a bit.

She grabs my collar all of sudden, choking me, “I am POSSESSIVE.”

“Err... You look scary li'l sis he-he..”

“Where did you go, kuya Mark?” she asks seriously with a hint of threat in her voice. “Don't think I will let it slide just because I let you to go. Did you really go back to your old ways, hmm? What happened to your promise?”

“Fuhahahahahahahaha.”

Crystal isn't affected when I suddenly began laughing out loud.

“My beloved little sister, I~ won't tell you. Haven't you been spying on me? It wasn't even recent. You've been watching me ever since you had became conscious.” With a grin, I wink at her, “Why don't you find out?”

“.............”

“.............”

With our face touching to the point that only our eyes doesn't have any contact, albeit barely— Both Crystal and I refuse to speak nor move.

“Chichichichi,” Crystal giggles, getting off me, she tidies up herself. With a sadistic smile on her face, she says sweetly, “Hehehe~ Don't regret what you said, kuya Mark.”

What can I say? She's so cute and adorable.

“I'm bringing in your food. Let's forget about our romance for now, chichichichi,” she leaves the room sassily.

“Well... Problem solve.”

Although there's trouble brewing in the horizon, I still think of this as a win. I knew Crystal will bug me about what I did that night.

I won't be able to threaten my demonic little sister nor bribe her. Though maybe she'll let it slide if I said I'll leave Eli-chan for good. But I don't want that to happen. It's not worth it.

Besides, with this, I am now free. I don't have to hide my nightly businesses anymore. Crystal may spy on me or even tail me but it doesn't matter. I'll cross the bridge or burn it when it's time to do so. Whatever Crystal cooks up, I can deal with it.

Maybe she's unnaturally intelligent and cunning, powerful and wise even, but in the end, she's still a child. I refuse to think I won't be able to handle her.

Am I self-assured or arrogant?

We'll see... I guess.

The night has come, we've eaten dinner, and now we're watching a classic Pinoy action-drama movie.

Currently, while eating apples and oranges, Crystal and I are talking about the schemes commonly done by the antagonist in most movies.

“…it's such a cliché. Blockbuster movie villains always have common tactics. It's like they all go to the same evil mastermind school or something, fufu.” I eat the new slice of apple Crystal offers me, “They always kidnap someone close to the protagonist.”

“It's a classic move for a reason. It strikes directly at the heart of the hero, kuya.”

“Sound's like something you'll do.”

“I do actually. I used it a lot of times,” she squints her eyes mysteriously. That's expression is secretly telling me something. “It's useful after all.”

“.............” I didn't say anything. The movie gets cut off, and an advertisement begins playing. “Say, if you want to smoke someone out from hiding, how will you do it?”

“Hmmm,” Crystal looks at me seemingly suspecting something. She bites the exposed part of the slice of apple I'm currently chewing on, “Lure them out with what they value. They'll be force to come out either to take what they want or protect it. Isn't it obvious?”

“Fufufu. I knew you would say that. Everyone is inclined to obey what they desire after all.” I pinch Crystal's cheek, “So if you know what someone wants, you can make them dance on the palm of your hand, right?”

With a knowing smile, she says, “I'm still figuring it out, chichichichi.”

“.............”

“.............”

Even though we're in an awkward position with our face being so close from each other, not one of us seems affected. Our expressions stay the same, and none of us speaks.

Until a breaking news disturbs our moment.