men & minors dni

shiloh spent the morning observing the interactions between yoonchae, megan and her sister with a fondness that she didn't believe she was ever capable of having.

sister— her sister.

the word still rang foreign in her mind due to how she was just simply not used to the word. never had it been in her vocabulary when it came to a biological sense. shiloh's considered yoonchae as a younger sister for so long that she didn't think of actually being one to someone who was related to her via— via them. her parents.

well, via the man who is her father.

the muscle in shiloh's eyebrow twitched just thinking about him and what little sage has mentioned about their father. he's not exactly father of the year when it concerns her as well, and judging from their text exchange earlier, mama isn't winning any awards for mother of the year either because something— something they did—made her baby sister so rattled and upset that she was willing to come visit her much earlier than anticipated. sage must've felt so overwhelmed by them that she had to get away.

i know the feeling, sage— i know it.

i just hope she doesn't become like me in that department and run when things become too much…maybe i can help her not be like me….

but that was a talk for a later date because shiloh has a feeling that the much overdue talk about their parents was somehow going to happen tonight at shiloh's home during their sleepover with her friends after sage meets them.

both of them knew the talk was unavoidable. that it'll happen whether they want it to or not.

a talk that neither was prepared to have— and why would you prepare for such a thing? conversations surrounding your older sister not being around or raised with you and why your parents made no mention of having another child have to be raw. unfiltered.

sage and shiloh needed the talk.

but there was another thing that both sisters knew would happen— no matter how they themselves would work hard to prevent it from ever happening.

what if they want to see me—

not wanting the mood that was filled with laughter and smiles. shiloh shifted her focus to the three younger women that were practically running around the aquarium to look at the many sea creatures in tanks.

megan's currently having a staring contest with one fish while yoonchae watches her with a look of pure adoration.

she wonders if those two will ever admit to their liking of the other— or should she enlist the help of regan and ryujin to push things along just for the hilarity of it all?

and sage— sage has been staring at a family of sea otters with such intensity that shiloh was concerned for a moment, as the girl had not moved an inch at all since she went over to look at them. from her position shiloh saw what caused her sister to stare— her eyes were on the pair of sleeping sea otters, one older and one younger. they were holding hands while sleeping.

sea otters would hold hands while sleeping so they wouldn't drift apart from each other. that's what shiloh remembered a tour guide from this very aquarium saying something akin to that when she had visited with her class during a field trip when she was in elementary school.

shiloh understands why sage couldn't look away. didn't want to look away.

i couldn't either when i first saw them too.

when it was time for them to leave, sage walked beside shiloh and held her hand.

she didn't let go until the four of them made it to shiloh's car.

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shiloh's currently trying to figure out whose bright idea it was to invite everyone over to her house just so sage can meet her friends properly. she was going to look at the gc she made with her, regan, megan —hehe rhyming names— ryujin, and yoonchae and see who it is she could blame.

—that's a lie; she's not going to blame them because having it happen at her home was a great idea, especially seeing how peaceful and comfortable sage has been since she entered the home. shiloh saw how she visibly relaxed and knew that it would have been a disservice to have this done at a hotel or even an airbnb. seeing sage so— calm and at ease did something to shiloh's mind.

she's always been a bit protective over yoonchae and that carried over to megan— and lara. but with yoonchae— shiloh sometimes felt like she went overboard in wanting to protect the younger from any of the pain and hurt she's experienced.

shiloh will do the same for sage. she has— she needs to protect her from this feeling of loneliness and pain that has been buried deep within shiloh that even she doesn't know a way to uproot them— they've become a part of her.

sage deserves better. so much better, and shiloh will make sure of it.

but for now— shiloh just observes her little sister fit in with her friends as if she's known them for years, her lips curled up in a smile as she stared at the chaotic friend group shiloh managed to make, eyes filled with a look of pure affection as she watched them all.

shiloh watched her friends. halle watched her.

halle's always been a quiet observer for a long time. she'd noticed things in people and her surroundings while unnoticed and used it to her advantage when it came to getting to know someone for who they truly are just by watching how they engaged with the world around them. she'd done the same with shiloh the very first time she met her; her older sister talked about the other woman constantly with such high regard and respect that she wanted to meet her just by that alone. chloe told her how shiloh helped with some songs on her album and recommended her, as she knew how much trouble halle was having with one particular song that was really working on several of her last nerves. shiloh was invited over to her home studio, and both women ended up talking more about other things than songwriting whenever she came over to help with the songwriting progression of halle's first album.

still— she noticed the sadness that seemed to radiate from her friend even though shiloh had kept it hidden. no one really noticed, but halle did.

halle always noticed.

just like she noticed the very clear tension and unspoken words between shiloh and her former band, katseye. halle saw it all.

saw how lara eyes glistened with tears before she looked away. noticed how daniela looked at everyone but shiloh when introducing herself.

halle especially noticed how sophia and manon didn't know how to stop looking at shiloh. whether they knew it and were in denial about it— everything about those two girls seemed drawn to shiloh and only to shiloh.

sophia had such a terrible time trying to focus on any of the conversation she had with anyone at the table because her eyes would drift to shiloh— like she was being pulled.

and manon that poor girl barely interacted with anyone because she herself couldn't keep her eyes off of shiloh.

shiloh looked at no one. her head had been down the moment after the four women had joined them at the table.

now why was that? she was curious.

she may not have known officially what caused the possible breakdown between them all, and she will never force her friend to ever discuss it with her unless shiloh explictily wanted her to. but there was a sudden rush of protectiveness that came over her for shiloh and she couldn't quite put a finger on why. did her subconscious know something then that she didn't? is that why she felt the need to feel that way in particular?

so halle waited, and observed. when shiloh was ready to speak about it, she will sit and she will listen.

—what they definitely will talk about is that whole hxg contract thing, though. that is a conversation that will happen, and shiloh will not be getting out of that with her at all.

for now she looked on and saw how shiloh had separated herself from the girl to watch them all interact with sage— they had all moved outside while shiloh was inside watching them, and halle got up to go inside, standing next to shiloh and both women looked at everyone getting to know the sister.

they remained silent for a few more minutes before shiloh said, "i didn't quit the band—"

halle nodded.

she had a feeling that's what it was— halle had watched clips and videos of shiloh performing. that girl loved every bit of performing— it was all in the way she moved. her stage presence and aura were unquestionable; she belonged up there.

no one who genuinely loved doing what shiloh did would just leave.

not voluntarily.

but halle said none of that; shiloh didn't need an interruption or any type of reassurance right now. she needed someone to listen.

"my contract as a member of katsye wasn't renewed and i was voted out— i— it. " shiloh stuttered, voice cracking as she fought back the urge to cry.

"now hxg wants me back, and they 'want to discuss the potentials of a career there as a solo artist'. they want to meet with me again in a few days to talk more on it. —i'm considering it." halle new from the way there was no hesitation behind the ending of shiloh words. there was a finality in her tone that she couldn't help but notice. but from the way she saw how shiloh's shoulders straightened— there was more to it.

when shiloh said nothing further, halle chose then to say something, "that company does not deserve you or ryujin— they barely deserve katseye but— loh i want you to know this. when you do go to talk to them again, never immediately agree to anything unless you give them conditions that they need to abide by if they want you. they will probably want you to do things for them to balance it, but make sure they earn that privilege. make them work for it."

halle didn't need to say the quiet part out loud. they both know exactly what it is the company will ask of her to do. shiloh's no idiot— she knows that it will involve her former band.

shiloh looked over at her friend with a watery smile, tears slipping down her cheeks as she nodded her head to show she understood. show that they will have to earn her.

but halle wasn't just talking about the company.

shiloh will pretend for now that her friend was only talking only about hxg.

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shiloh was in her bedroom, sitting in the middle of her bed as her mind tried to settle. everyone had slowly drifted off to sleep one by one by the time they made it to the third prequel movie, and she managed to slip away to go to her room.

her mind has been going back to the conversation she had with halle, to thoughts of sage. she wondered what it was that caused her sister to want to get away from them.

them being their parents.

what could it be that made her want to be away from them so badly?

it was as if she heard her sister's musings as sage had knocked and entered her room. she looked nervous— anxious. shiloh knew from that alone what was about to happen. they were about to talk about their parents.

shiloh patted the empty space on the bed next to her for sage to come sit, but instead was surprised by a request sage had made.

"can we— can we like— face away from each other? with our backs to each other? it's a coping thing that my therapist taught me—"

"sage—" shiloh interrupted her gently. " we can do that. come on."

after a few minutes and a decision to just do this on the floor instead of the bed, where it felt like she was falling over, the sisters were now sitting on the floor in front of the bed, facing away with their backs pressed against each other. shiloh could feel the heaviness that was carried by her sister— and in that moment she hated their parents for whatever it is they've done to her.

sage didn't immediately start with speaking. just sat there with her back pressed against her older sister's while she stared straight ahead at nothing.

shiloh said nothing.

she didn't try to fill the silence with words to break the tension or to try and lighten up the mood; she just sat quietly. waiting. listening.

"they found out" were the only words sage said after minutes of silence. she didn't have to clarify to shiloh who sage was referring to. "growing up i just felt so very lonely. our parents— they didn't let me do anything or go anywhere. i wasn't allowed to have friends over, and i couldn't go over to their places. at home with them— i was just— alone."

shiloh closed her eyes— memories from her own childhood came. the heavy footsteps from her father. the careful footsteps from her mother. how her father kept a close eye on her— how her mother was sometimes too afraid to let even her go past the front yard. so afraid was their mother of not seeing shiloh within her eyesight, but sometimes she'd let her venture out to play with other kids or go to the neighbors' home next door, yoonchae's family, only for her father or mother to come and collect her what felt like seconds later.

she remembered the loneliness— but at the time she only had her mother to turn to for comfort.

"i thought i was being careful with our texts and calls whenever i went back to their house to see them. i— there was something keeping me from telling them that i found you— that i know about you and have been talking to you. like i somewhat knew that them knowing was not something that was a good thing— like i knew it was something they didn't need to know or shouldn't know about."

sage's mind went to the day she found a hidden box in her parents' bedroom— she was looking for some documents that she needed for school, and her mother told her to go into her bedroom to find them. the box has a name on it that she'd never seen, much less heard her parents mention. a box that had the name 'shiloh' on it, and inside were documents, pictures, magazines, and news clippings of a girl who looked very similar to sage but older. in the box was also a camcorder. sage grabbed the box and put something in its spot to give the illusion that there was something still there and went directly to her room.

what sage found that day tilted her entire world over. she had a sister.

an older sister.

and said older sister was someone that sage related to in terms of representation and in general. suddenly everything made sense— how her mother tensed up whenever she heard anything related to katseye was mentioned. how her father would look away whenever they were on the tv— used to believe that it was just him not showing any interest and not caring about a band full of young people. he was looking away in shame.

when sage was a child, her mother used to pick her up and hold her so tightly and her tears were streaming down her face as she held the little girl in her arms close to her with whispered apologies.

it all made perfect sense. why they moved here— why they moved to the neighborhood they now currently reside in. why her mother would spend so much time in her office with what now sage understood was this very box.

they had another child. before her, a child they left.

a child they abandoned.

sage felt disgust and anger come over her quicker than she realized. disgust at her parents.

anger at how they just— why didn't they tell her? why wasn't shiloh with them? why?

how long has it been since they've seen shiloh in person? there were many questions that needed to be known.

sage looked over at everything that was within that box until she saw a number with shiloh's name underneath it— she didn't question how her mother acquired the number, but she didn't care. she took it with her and put the box back exactly where it was.

that familiar fury started to stir within sage again and she had to quickly stuff it down before she let it take over her again.

"they didn't let me know about you for so long— why should i let them know you now?" sage continued. "our parents believed i shouldn't know about you, so why would i do the same? — but now they know and they won't stop hounding me about meeting up with you. that they have a right to meet and know you because 'shiloh's our daughter." she was getting angry all over again at the audacity from them. how dare they want to know someone they haven't cared to reach out to on their own? their mother had shiloh's phone number for who knows how long; she could have easily done what sage had done.

but she didn't. the coward.

sage eyes filled with tears, just like shiloh's had.

"i— i tried to be nice for as long as i could to them. i tried to deter them— telling them in many ways that you weren't ready. ignore their calls and texts, but they just wouldn't stop, and i just— i—" you can hear the control she had to keep herself together slipping. so she turned and moved around to where she could rest her forehead against her sister's back. she was seeking comfort but didn't know how to ask for it without feeling like she was asking for too much from shiloh.

"i lost it. and started yelling at them. i told them to their faces that they were so fucking pathetic. how they probably had years to do what i had done— that i did something they were too damn cowardly to do, and they have the nerve to get angry and try to force themselves into your life without an invite. i asked them how they thought you'd feel when you met me— how you must've questioned, 'why her and not me?' they tried to speak over me, but i just kept yelling, 'you left her! you left her!' and i just couldn't stop saying it. and she slapped me— mama slapped— i hate them. i hate them so much," and sage finally breaks. she couldn't stop the tears from overtaking her and cried.

she cried not for her parents and their self-serving guilt. sage cried for herself— she cried for her older sister who probably had to navigate the world on her own because of their parents' selfishness.

and she cried for them. for not being allowed the chance to grow up together. for not having the long-standing sibling relationship that they should have had from the beginning— there were so many times they needed an older sister for advice, comfort, and to laugh with.

they took that from them. they took everything from them—

sage face was now buried deep in shiloh's shoulder while she continued to sob; her fingers were pressed into shiloh's back because she didn't want her sister to disappear from her grasp. she didn't know how long she sobbed for or when shiloh. sage just needed this to be real.

it'll kill her if this was all a dream.

shiloh was sobbing too, but she didn't care about herself in that moment. she only wanted her to be and feel safe again— she had no business carrying such a burden on her shoulders all because of the cowardly and downright pathetic actions of two grown people who made a series of choices that they now are starting to face the consequences of.

they know there was more to discuss, and shiloh was already thinking of turning the guest room into a permanent one just for sage in case the girl wanted to stay here for however long she needed to. she needed to be away from their parents for a while because the younger never wanted to go back, but she didn't have a choice in the matter as she's financially tied to them.

but they will deal with it now that she had shiloh and the close friends that came with her sister— yoonchae and megan have already formed their own little trio thanks to the trip to the aquarium and the subsequent hours they spent together before the others came along.

sage wasn't alone anymore. she'll never be again. she has a sister.

bonus: the idiots in their natural habitat...terrorizing shiloh.

a/n: short chapter but progress! nothing bad's going to happen :D i promise you all :D

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